News
The Duchess opens a new school in Marlborough
23rd February 2010
The Duchess of Cornwall wished she was a pupil again today, after opening a hi-tech school in Wiltshire.
Her Royal Highness was impressed with St John's School and Community College in Marlborough which was created with the proceeds of land sales and fundraising.
Unveiling a plaque to commemorate the official opening she said: "It almost makes me want to come back to school!"
The building - thought to be the only self-funded new-build state secondary school in Britain - opened for lessons in December last year.
The Duchess toured the classrooms and the theatre and met staff and local civic figures.
In the sixth-form common room she spoke to Hazel Ingham, 16, from West Overton, who said: "She asked what my subject choice was. I told her I liked the school and we talked about the art rooms.
"She was really impressed. I liked her - she was cool."
In the art room The Duchess remarked on the lightness of the room and the rural views, provided by the generous windows.
She later saw a French lesson, where 12-year-olds Archie Lewis and James Cook enacted a scene where a man with a broken arm was asking for a doctor.
She quipped "Au revoir" as she left the class.
At the end of the visit she met town crier Alf Johnson, 79, who has done the job for 16 years and only recently retired as beadle.
Students at St Johns are aged 11-18 and from a mainly rural catchment area of 250 square miles.
The facilities are also available to community groups, sports clubs and other voluntary organisations.
The school was able to sell some of its unwanted land, as it was originally operating on two sites, 1.2 miles apart.
Later in the day, The Duchess braved the rain to formally open a £410,000 village hall - Coronation Hall, in nearby East Grafton.
The new facility has been funded a successful lottery application and fundraising efforts by local people.
She told the gathering: "This is a fantastic achievement and I hope other villages learn from your example."
The Duchess also met four-year-old Crofton Keyes who was singled out for praise as he raised the most money in sponsorship for the treasure hunt.
But the youngster, who is from the village, seemed overcome with shyness as he met the guest, clinging close to his mother, Lou.
The previous Coronation Hall was built in 1937, on land donated by local benefactors of the 20th century, to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VIII.