All smiles as town gets royal visitor in the rain (From Malvern Gazette)

All smiles as town gets royal visitor in the rain

THE Princess Royal was all smiles despite the rain when she visited Malvern.

ALL SMILES: Princess Anne enjoys a visit to the county. Pictures by Carsten Evans. 17658404.

Princess Anne carried out a series of Royal engagements during her visit to the town yesterday.

The Princess was given a full tour of the Morgan car plant in Pickersleigh Road, led by company chairman Charles Morgan, which is celebrating its centenary year.

As well as meeting the company’s executives, the Princess was introduced to workers in every stage of the production process.

In the assembly shop, sheet metal workers John Bishop and Barry White showed the Princess how they used a special hand-operated tool to make the bonnet louvres, which are one of the characteristics of Morgans marques.

TALK: Chief fire officer Paul Hayden chats to Princess Anne about the fire and rescue service’s new building. 17658413.

The Princess also saw how Morgan keeps traditional manufacturing skills alive alongside new technology, and apprentices Lee Irish and Ryan Smith showed her how they combined both to make the Morgan Aero’s doors.

“She was really easy to talk to,” said Mr Irish.

Outside the plant, she saw a display by members of the Morgan Three Wheelers Club and finished off her visit by unveiling a plaque in the firm’s exhibition and visitors’ centre.

Also on the itineray was a visit to Malvern Hills Science Park and the new fire service depot in the Malvern Link.

At the science park, the Princess unveiled a plaque to officially open the phase three building and meet some of the firms located there. The visit was hosted by Dr David Brown of Advantage West Midlands, which provided much of the funding for phase three.

CHAT: Ryan Smith and Lee Irish talk to the Princess. 17658408.

Among the park’s tenants that she visited were Roar Forensics, Quest, Metrasens, 3STL and ZBD.

The Princess also officially opened Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s new operations and logistical centre in Betony Road.

Among the firefighters she talked to was the crew from Upton station, which has been equipped with a new fire engine with the latest compressed-air foam system.

Watch manager Gary Bumfrey said: “I told her about the system which gives us a much larger foam capacity, equivalent to about five older fire appliances, is better for the environment and doesn’t use as much water.”

She also talked to the Drotwich-based Urban Search and Rescue Team and met one of their rescue dogs, Jess.

The Princess met apprentices who worked at the centre, a team of young firefighters from Droitwich and members of the community safety team.

The visit ended with the Princess unveiling a plaque marking the opening of the centre.