News
The Prince of Wales begins two days of regeneration themed visits in Middlesbrough and Redcar
24th October 2011
The Prince of Wales today ventured inside a mothballed blast furnace which within weeks will be back operating at more than 1,000C.
The Redcar steel plant has been brought back from the edge after it was sold to Thai firm SSI, saving thousands of jobs on Teesside.
The Prince visited Redcar last year after the plant was closed and was touched by the community's battle to find a buyer.
The visit was part of a two-day tour of Teesside, the North West and the Midlands to champion regeneration projects.
The huge blast furnace, the size of St Paul's Cathedral, is being refitted before being switched back on in December.
Wearing a high-visibility vest, hard hat and protective glasses, The Prince was shown round the interior of the furnace where coke and iron ore will be mixed to make iron at temperatures of 1,200C.
By 2012, bosses hope it will be producing 3.6m tonnes of high quality steel per year.
Previous owners Corus had to close the works due to a global drop in demand.
Peter Whitfield, project engineer, was an apprentice when the furnace was built 35 years ago.
He said: "It's a great day for Teesside.
"We are dedicated to bringing the furnace back on and to have The Prince's endorsement is a great honour."
The plant will employ 1,900 people, with many more linked jobs in the supply chain. The site, which covers 12 km square, generates its own electricity.
Afterwards, His Royal Highness met schoolchildren who are taking part in a scheme to preserve steel-making skills in the area. The Prince was concerned when the plant was mothballed that the local expertise would be lost forever.
Lewis Caddy, 13, said afterwards: "It felt so good to talk to him about what we have learned so far."
Earlier, The Prince was in Middlesbrough to open a retail unit in a shopping mall which offers traders a chance to kick off their fledgling business with low overheads.
His Royal Highness opened the Corner Emporium, which already has units for a jeweller, a skateboarding outlet and an ornament shop.
As well as benefiting from cheap rents, traders will be able to tap into business expertise from mentors.
After officially opening the previously empty premises, The Prince said: "I hope this can be one small way in which a difference can be made."
The Prince's Trust also visited a young people's charity in Middlesbrough supported by The Prince's Trust.
The Fairbridge personal development scheme, which has centres across England, teaches participants about cooking, CV writing, financial awareness, literacy and numeracy and team-building skills.
Kieran Maxwell, 22, from South Shields, South Tyneside took the programme while living in a homeless hostel, as he struggled to deal with drugs and alcohol.
He said: "The Fairbridge programme gave me the structure I needed to get
back on my feet. I feel a lot more positive about life and really believe I have the potential to succeed."
The Prince's regeneration-themed programme continues tomorrow.