The sun came out with the crowds to greet Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal at the official opening of Leicester College’s new Abbey Park Campus today.
The Princess arrived to cheers and waving flags of learners and staff waiting outside. Accompanied by the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Lady Gretton, JP, she was greeted by the Principal of Leicester College, Maggie Galliers.
From here, the Princess was escorted through the main entrance to the Atrium where the Addict Dance Company, a group of learners from the College’s dance school, performed a piece entitled ‘Recess’ flawlessly for the onlooking Princess.
A tour of the campus followed, with the party meeting staff and learners from various curriculum areas, as well as student course representatives. One learner, 35 year old Zayley Patel, said, “The Princess was really easy to talk to and was interested to find out what I do at the College and the opportunities available for mature learners such as myself.”
The campus tour was rounded off with a demonstration of the online learning program ‘Moodle’ and a walk-through of the Faith Room with showering, prayer and reflection areas. The Princess was then escorted back to the Atrium where she unveiled a commemorative plaque and signed the visitors’ book. After unveiling the plaque, she said, “”It is always nice to see places like this, and this College is a particularly interesting format.
“If the College was not popular before, and the evidence is there to suggest it was, then I am sure it will be for all those that come here now.
“So much time and effort has gone into this initiative by those involved. Congratulations.”
The visit concluded with Syonn Patel, a child from the College’s nursery, presenting the Princess with a posy.
On reflection of the visit College Principal Maggie Galliers said, “The opening ceremony is the culmination of seven years’ hard work to transform our commitment into a 21st century facility which will serve the people of Leicester for years to come.
“The Princess’s visit has been a great honour for the College and given us an opportunity to celebrate our work in skills development, community cohesion and individual success.”
ESOL Curriculum Area Manager, Geoff Saul was clearly impressed. “Her Royal Highness spent a lot of time with the learners, more than expected, as time overran. She spoke to each one individually and was really interested in what they had to say. The learners were over the moon”, Geoff said.