Duke will make trip to the Vale (From Evesham Journal)

Duke will make trip to the Vale

5:00pm Friday 28th September 2012 in News

PREPARATIONS are being made across the Vale to welcome a royal visitor.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester will be visiting four locations in Pershore and Evesham as part of the visit on Wednesday.

His first stop will be the community project on Avon Meadows Wetlands in Pershore.

Local dignitaries and members of the district and town council will be there to greet him as he explores the area, which was set up to enhance biodiversity and encourage a variety of wildlife and plants.

The Duke will then make his way to Evesham charity Roundabout, which he chose to visit because of his interest in conservation.

The charity, in Blackminster Business Park, recycles and reuses furniture and in the past year alone has prevented more than 120 tonnes of furniture from ending up in landfill.

Roundabout manager Bob Pooler said: “We are delighted and honoured that the Duke of Gloucester is visiting Roundabout.

This gives us a brilliant opportunity to explain what we do and raise our profile locally.”

Pebworth Fire Station will be the next place to welcome the Duke on his trip.

The new fire station incorporates many features to reduce the impact on the environment, including an attenuation pond, which manages discharged water and a ground source heat pump which generates heat for the building.

Finally the Duke will head to Kanes Foods in Middle Littleton.

Earlier this year the factory unveiled a new state-of-the-art eco-friendly salad factory, which has a roof covered in grass and other plants.

Roger Beard, a director at Kanes, said: “We consider this visit an important step in the recognition of Kanes as a key player in the economic and social life of Evesham.”