His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, visited Newbury College on Tuesday 18 November 2014, prior to his appointment at The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service presentation, which was held at the College later that day.
The visit included a tour of the Motor Vehicle workshops and an opportunity to speak to students and local employers from the Motor Vehicle Industry. His Royal Highness had the opportunity to see a number of demonstrations from various areas within the Motor Vehicle department and from College employer partners. Staff and students demonstrated breaks pads, a rolling road, and how the Break Horse Power (BHP) of a car is tested.
Principal of Newbury College, Dr Anne Murdoch OBE said, "We would like to extend our thanks to His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester, for taking the time to visit the College and engaged with our students. The visit was a
fantastic opportunity to exhibit our state of the art Motor Vehicle workshop and for our students, and the local employers we work closely with, to showcase their skills. The Volunteer Awards Ceremony was held in our new Sports Hall, which is a fantastic facility that can transform into a gala marque".
Employers exhibiting on the day included Williams and Xtrac who work closely with the College on their Apprenticeship programme. West Berkshire's Classic Vehicle Club also exhibited two classic vehicles, a 1914 Morris Bullnose that was used in the hit TV show Downton Abbey, and a Super Charged Lotus.
VIP guests who attended the events included The Lord Lieutenant for the Royal County of Berkshire, Mrs Bayliss; High Sheriff of Berkshire; The Chairman of West Berkshire, Cllr Jeff Beck; The Chairman of Greenham Parish Council, Patrick Planterose; The Mayor of Newbury Town Cllr, Jo Day; The Mayor of Thatcham, Cllr Gary Johnson and the Mayoress of Thatcham, Mrs Heather Johnson.
The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is an annual award which recognises and rewards excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community. Following the event, His Royal Highness had the opportunity to meet with Catering and Food and Beverage students who presented the Duke with a cake. Students also catered for the event.