No crown, but plenty excitement over Lochgilphead’s royal visitor
EXCITED youngsters in neat bright uniforms fidgeted alongside nervous adults at the Riverside complex.
After being forced to call off a planned visit last year through ill health, the Princess Royal arrived on Tuesday to meet and greet the various groups occupying the Lochgilphead site.
Flag-waving supporters may have been thin on the ground, but this did not diminish the enthusiasm of children at Riverside Rascals nursery. Her Royal Highness was presented with a posy by three-year-old Gra- cie Philips and her sister Sophie, aged five. The floral gift was graciously accepted with the remark: ‘These are very colourful. Do they smell nice?’
A little disappointment was said to have been expressed by one Riverside toddler, who was surprised to see a real princess but without a crown.
A tour of Riverside Rascals was followed by the short walk to Mid Argyll Community Pool (MACPool), where chairman of MAC Enterprises Ltd Sue Hillman introduced staff members before the royal visitor was treated to an aquatic demonstration by Mid Argyll Dolphins swim- ming club. This was also a rare opportunity to have ‘swimmer of the month’ medals presented by royalty.
The pool is now benefiting from heating supplied by a new biomass boiler, shown to Princess Anne by pool manager Graham Love.
It was the turn of seven-year-old Charlotte Dale to present flowers to the princess as she left MACPool in Argyll drizzle, then it was on to Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau.
Visits were paid earlier in the day by the Princess Royal to Otter Ferry Seafish, Portavadie Marina and Ardrishaig’s Yot Spot.