Click here for a selection of photos of the Royal Opening

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester formally opened YMCA Derbyshire’s £4.5 million Campus for Learning and Development in Wilmorton, Derby, on 2nd November 2010.

During her visit to the flagship facility, The Duchess was given a guided tour of the centre and met many of those who live, learn and work there. She also met those involved in the build project as well as representatives of the local community and the international YMCA movement.

As she unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion, The Duchess echoed the words of George Williams, founder of the worldwide YMCA movement, when he came to open an earlier YMCA centre in Derby in 1892. HRH expressed the “fervent hope” that the facility would prove “a door to hope, happiness and success” for all those who would enter and use it.

The Campus for Learning and Development is a ground-breaking initiative, bringing together 83 units of supported accommodation, learning and development facilities, conference rooms, office space, an enterprise zone and a café open to members of the public on one integrated site. It has been recognised as a Centre of National Significance with flagship status by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The building opened its doors to the local community last year, replacing an earlier building on the same site, and the Royal Opening marked the culmination of a project that has taken some five years from inception to completion.

Gillian Sewell, Chief Executive of YMCA Derbyshire, said: “The official Royal Opening of our Campus facility was a joyful occasion for all of us. So many people have been involved in the project to build, open and run this centre – from those involved in the initial planning, the building project team, the funders and the fundraisers to our local partners and stakeholders, our staff members and trustees and our supporters. This Royal Opening recognised what all of them have achieved together.

“The YMCA has been serving our local community continuously since Derby YMCA was founded in 1847. Over 160 years later, HRH has given the Royal seal of approval to the latest chapter in our story – which is about far more than just the bricks and mortar of the new building but about the many young lives we are successfully turning around and the various opportunities provided to those who will use The Campus facility in the years to come.”

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) invested £2.2 million to support the project through its affordable housing and Places of Change programmes.

Graham Dobbs, head of area for HCA East Midlands, said: “We are pleased to see the development completed and making a difference to young homeless people in Derby. It is providing not just high quality accommodation but excellent training and support services that are critical to helping the service users back into full time housing.”

At an event held immediately before the arrival of the Royal Party, the Mayor of Derby, Councillor Amar Nath, was among those who presented various awards to YMCA Derbyshire’s service users. The awards recognised outstanding achievement, progress, consideration for others and a concern for justice among other attributes.