Treloar’s in Holybourne was delighted to welcome its royal patron, the Duchess of Edinburgh, on January 21 to visit its new Bradbury Learning Centre and renovated swimming pool.

This was her first official engagement since celebrating her 60th birthday the day before.

She was introduced to students Carmen, Gracie, Chloe, Aish and Ben, who showed her the new immersive learning room and demonstrated the different ways the technology can be used to create immersive experiences and enhance learning.

The students were excited to share the benefits of the immersive technology and explain how they used it in their learning.

The Bradbury Learning Centre has been developed to create four different learning zones right at the heart of the Treloar’s campus, to improve access to a variety of learning resources and educational technology for students of all abilities.

Student governors Is and Archie, together with Delali, gave her a tour of the library and the technology zone before guiding her to the renovated swimming pool.

Archie said: “It was really nice to meet Her Royal Highness, The Duchess was very kind and genuinely interested in the students and what they do here at Treloar’s.

“The Duchess got involved with pool games with primary students, waving the chequered flag at the finishing line for the relay races, and had the opportunity to chat to students in the pool.

“The swimming pool was renovated in 2023 with the addition of five new poolside changing rooms and hoists installed to increase capacity and access to the pool.

“This means more students can enjoy the freedom of movement and the therapeutic benefits of being in the water.”

Her Royal Highness was introduced to staff, major donors and representatives from The Bradbury Foundation, The Constable Educational Trust, East Hampshire District Council and a number of livery companies which have a long history of supporting Treloar’s.

A Treloar’s spokesperson said it was “so grateful” for this support, which meant it could continue to maintain and upgrade its facilities to meet the increasingly complex needs of its students.

Before she left Treloar’s, primary students Alex and Ethan presented the Duchess with a gift and a hand-made birthday card created by Treloar College student Izzy.

The Duchess has been a patron of and involved with Treloar’s over many years, proving herself to be a wonderful ambassador for its students by championing their abilities and ambitions for the future.

Assistant head of college Hazel Wark said: “Our students really enjoyed speaking to Her Royal Highness about their courses, hopes and aspirations for the future. It was an amazing opportunity for our young people to be involved in such a prestigious event.”