Play area in Poundbury opened by Prince Charles

HRH visited Poundbury to open the Great Field Play Area following an earlier engagement at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Charles was met by a crowd of local residents and dignitaries which included the Mayor of Dorchester Gareth Jones, local councillors and West Dorset MP Chris Loder.

Cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg, in the area for another engagement, were also in attendance to watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Prince of Wales met those involved in the design and building of the play area along with children from the local schools, Damers and the Prince of Wales, who will benefit from it.

The play equipment was commissioned and installed by the Duchy of Cornwall, working closely with Dorchester Town Council.

To view all the images, click on the interactive gallery above

Funding for the project came from the Duchy, with additional support from section 106 allocations allocated by Dorset Council.

The town council, which have managed the lower section of the Great Field for some years, will now manage the whole of the Great Field as a facility for residents and visitors to Dorchester as a whole.

Sam Dunlop, who was one of three workers that laid the foundations of the play park, said Charles was 'surprisingly clued up' about the area.

Sam Dunlop

He said: "I was part of the team that laid the sleepers, the ground levels and the boulder works - with the latter made from Portland Stone.

"To be involved with the project was amazing. This wasn't just another job - it was something special.

"I spoke to the Prince of Wales and he told me that the water fountain wasn't working, and he was right. He was surprisingly clued-up."

Mayor Gareth Jones said: "We all feel so lucky to have been here for the play area's opening.

"The Prince of Wales takes a keen interest in Poundbury and visits twice a year.

"I think the new play park has a variety of style, which is coincides with Poundbury.

"The park and the Prince of Wales' regularly visits are just two examples of Poundbury's heritage."

West Dorset MP Chris Loder said: "To be visited by His Royal Highness is great for not just Poundbury, but south and west Dorset too.

"I spoke to him and he said I was fortunate to represent such a beautiful area and he shows great interest about Poundbury, which is a town so close to his heart.

"For the heir to the throne to come here as often as he does it's wonderful."

West Dorset MP Chris Loder

Before arriving in Poundbury, Charles visited the new Derwent operating theatre in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital which has been built in record time in order to help with the backlog of patients requiring operations since the pandemic.