Starting off July on a busy note, Princess Anne had two engagements in West Cumbria earlier this week.
The Princess Royal opened The Whitehaven Campus, which combines Mayfield School with St Benedict’s Catholic High School. A £30 million campus, the site had opened its doors to students back in January. However, the school had their official opening yesterday.
The Princess was welcomed by waving flags and a presentation of flowers before being given a tour of the new facilities.
Prior to the visit, Steve Bridgman, acting head teacher said: “We are looking forward to showing our guests around the new facilities, giving them the opportunity to meet our hardworking staff and pupils and see some of the fruits of their labours.”
Funding for Whitehaven came from a range of partners including the Copeland Community Fund, Cumbria County Council and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Sellafield Ltd had invested the first £10 million into the project, creating the biggest single education investment in Whitehaven since the 1960s.
For her second engagement, the Princess Royal helped to open Gen2’s newly built headquarters in Lillyhall, Workington. She opened the office in her role as President of The City and Guilds of London Institute.
Gen2 is one of England’s leading apprentice training providers. Part of The City and Guilds Group, Gen2 is also apart of The City and Guilds Institute of Advanced Technology.
During the event, the Princess had the opportunity to speak to local apprentices and she had the chance to hear about their studies. A spokesman for Gen2 said of the Princess’ visit:
“The Princess Royal is President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, so it is extremely fitting and a great honour to welcome her Royal Highness to Gen2.”
Last year, Princess Anne was the busiest member of the House of Windsor, with a total of 518 engagements throughout 2018.