A ROYAL visitor made a special trip to Ugley to officially open a charity s new resource centre, on Friday (October 24). National charity for people with learning difficulties, HFT, welcomed their patron who had originally launched their fundraising appea

A ROYAL visitor made a special trip to Ugley to officially open a charity's new resource centre, on Friday (October 24).

National charity for people with learning difficulties, HFT, welcomed their patron who had originally launched their fundraising appeal in March 2005.

The Princess Royal arrived by helicopter to see firsthand how the money had been spent.

Following a tour of the Bradbury Resource Centre where she viewed displays of the redevelopment work and visited the computer facility and woodwork rooms, the Princess visited Pear Tree Cottage which is specifically designed to accommodate ageing residents with sensory impairment and dementia.

The ethos is to provide quality services for older people with learning disabilities and to enable people to remain in their home if they become ill, frail, or develop dementia.

The Princess then toured the refurbished Dove Cottages before meeting with guests, fundraisers, family members and HFT staff at a marquee in the grounds.

Officially launching the new service, the Princess praised the good work achieved through the hard work and dedication of everyone involved and thanked all those who have contributed towards the £2.3m fundraising appeal for the redevelopment.

She urged people to carry on their fundraising efforts for the service, including raising money for the continuation of work opportunities and horticultural training for many people with learning disabilities provided by the HFT Garden Centre at Ugley.