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Prince Edward swoops in for flying royal visit

by Ben Turner, Chris Morris and Alex Bell
25/ 6/2008

PRINCE Edward had Macclesfield in a right royal spin for a day – after swooping in to town by helicopter.

The Earl of Wessex proved himself a prince among Maxonians – of all ages – during a whistlestop tour in which he met everyone from a 102-year-old hospital patient to teenage pupils.

And two of the town’s most notable recent developments were given the royal blessing as he officially opened two state-of-the-art new wards at Macclesfield Hospital, and later, the jewel in the crown, the new £38 million Learning Zone.

The prince, who is seventh in line to the throne, also took time out to award the Bridgend Centre with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service at the town hall.

Macclesfield Hospital was his first port of call during the Friday (June 20) official visit and he spent over an hour talking to patients and staff on a tour of the new £5.5 million facilities.

Nurses led him round the brand new stroke rehabilitation and elderly care wards, which boast a circular "racetrack" design and 54 beds between them, including a high number of single rooms and single sex facilities for added privacy. The prince was told how both wards were designed to meet the Government’s new "Releasing Time to Care" initiative which aims to maximise staff time with patients.

Florence Haynes, 102, said "it made her day" to tell the Prince how contented she was in the new 30-bed elderly care ward.

A delighted Florence said: "I apologised for not being able to stand up and he said ‘that is quite alright’' It is very nice in the ward here and I told him. I have met a Royal before. I went to the Queen’s coronation in London in 1953. My husband used to work for Turner Brothers and he was lucky enough to be chosen to go."

A proud Kathy Cowell, chairwoman of East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: "It was a fantastic morning for us and a real fillip for the teams on the wards and the patients."

Macclesfield Learning Zone was next to feel the regal presence, when Prince Edward gave his royal blessing to the state-of-the-art facilities. He unveiled the five new buildings following a whistlestop tour of the £38m campus.

The prince later presented the Bridgend Centre in Bollington with a special award for its voluntary work. All eyes had initially been on King’s School, where Prince Edward arrived, and later left, by helicopter.

It is the fifth time in five years that King’s has welcomed royalty – including the Queen who helped celebrate the school’s 500th birthday in 2002.

Headteacher Dr Stephen Coyne said: "His Royal Highness was a pleasure to host on his arrival by helicopter and showed a great deal of interest in our pupils and their achievements."