A ROYAL visitor had a busy day in the region today, formally opening a college campus and a new premises for a large-scale laundry, before meeting people getting specialist care at a hospice.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal got to share her passion for horses when she opened East Durham College’s redeveloped Houghall Campus, Durham.

The region’s leading land-based college recently underwent a £12.75 million renovation as part of its plans to fully modernize the entire site, which originally opened in 1938, as the Durham County School of Agriculture.

The Princess met the college’s leadership team and governors, and then toured the campus, to see the new facilities.

She spent time in the college’s dog grooming studio and come face-to-face with some of Houghall’s reptiles in the lizard workshop.

During the tour, the Princess also heard from students and staff about their equine studies and was treated to an dressage display.

She also learned about how the new facilities, which include a brand-new small animal care centre, agricultural centre, equine centre, brand new science labs and IT suites.

Suzanne Duncan, principal and chief executive of East Durham College, said: “We are honoured to be having HRH The Princess Royal visit us to officially open these fabulous new facilities.

“This fantastic £12 million development has gone a great way to restoring Houghall to its former glory, and providing our staff and students with a range of new facilities they can be proud of, and thrive in, as students pursue their studies here with us and prepare to move on into a huge range of different and exciting careers or on to further study at university.”

Unveiling a plaque, Princess Anne said: “My congratulations. It brings a huge encouragement to see this that level of investment in land-based industries and the way you put to together and manage it.”

“I hope the investment itself will attract more people to look at it and at potential careers.

“It is also the way you teach here. It has a great history this place and it has a lot going for it in the future as well.”

As Royal Patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Princess Anne later spoke to families living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) who receive specialist care in Stockton’s Butterwick Hospice.

The princess officially opened the North-East hospice eight years ago, with the site offering invaluable support to those affected by the rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.

Carers and MND Association representatives heard uplifting stories from those benefitting from the hospice’s MND First Contact Group that works to make their terminal diagnosis less daunting.

The joint venture between Butterwick Hospice, MND Association and the MND Care Centre at the James Cook University Hospital relies solely on charitable donations.

Her Royal Highness said: “All organisations involved in the First Contact Group have representatives here today and I want to thank you all for the way in which they’ve come together to really make a difference in the area.”

Earlier in the day Princess Anne officially opened new-built state-of-the art Berendsen textile service operations plant in Meadowfield, Durham, which will deliver 17,000 garments to customers daily.

The new-build plant will handle protective wear and hygiene garments as well as mats and roller towels. It uses state-of-the art chip technology and advanced machinery to ensure high efficiency, capacity and flexibility as well as reduced energy consumption.

The new Berendsen plant will deliver 17,000 garments to customers daily, requiring 250 tons of garments to be washed per month.

On Thursday, Princess Anne travelled by train to meet people working at a manufacturer of horse bits Neue Schule Limited, at Momentum Business Centre in Stokesley and North Yorkshire and East Riding Rural Housing Network’s new homes at Paddocks End in Hutton Rudby.

The visit to Hambleton Equine Clinic, which had to be cancelled due to a technical problem with her helicopter, will be rescheduled in due course.