A ROYAL visitor was offered a look into the future of County Durham as he stopped off at schools boasting brand new buildings and set foot in a town predicted to become a cultural tourism destination.

HRH The Duke of Gloucester touched down in the region yesterday where he was invited to mark the official opening of Sedgefield Community College, tour Wolsingham School’s redevelopment and get a flavour of what is in store for Bishop Auckland in the coming years.

The Duke flew in by helicopter to Sedgefield Community College where he was greeted by a group of pupils waving the Union Flag. On his tour of the £17.1million building, which opened in 2011, but was completed in September with the addition of a new annexe, he observed children in English and science lessons, watched them engage in interfaith activities and was treated to a dance performance by the school’s all-male troupe.

Unveiling the plaque to mark the school’s official opening, the Duke said: “Over the years I’ve been asked to open quite a few schools and as time goes by they seem to get better and better and more able to provide the right circumstances for education.

“As somebody who trained as an architect I’m always pleased to see the building, the look of the building and the symbol of the building, has an important role to play in education.

“I’m very pleased as I get older and older and face problems of retirement and decay to feel that there is a new generation coming along who are going to be educated well enough to maintain the impetus of this country and in the future to be part of its growth and its economic prosperity.”

The Duke also paid a visit to Wolsingham School which in April last year opened the doors to its new £6.1million building complete with science laboratories, a hall which can turned into a theatre and state-of-the-art IT facilities.

As well as exploring the school, the Duke looked on as almost 40 cadets paraded in the yard.

Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, said: “It’s fantastic to have new school buildings like these in County Durham which we know will help generations of young people now and in the future.”

Bishop Auckland was once again in the spotlight as the Duke paid a visit to the town which is currently home to a raft of eagerly anticipated developments.

Auckland Castle Trust chairman Jonathan Ruffer explained the £100million revitalisation programme on a tour incorporating the under-refurbishment Mining Art Gallery and Auckland Castle as well as the site of Eleven Arches’ open air show Kynren: An Epic Tale of England. Among those presented to the Duke was volunteer handy person Les Vollans, finance apprentice Rebecca Elliot and visitor services apprentice Perrie Athey who all spoke of his pleasant and friendly manner.