PRINCESS Anne officially opened the North Wilts Carers Centre in Chippenham yesterday morning.

The Princess Royal was due to fly into Lackham by helicopter but bad conditions meant the landing was switched to Lyneham at the last minute.

Greeted by civic leaders and centre chairman Gill Sawyer, the Princess Royal was introduced to trustees, volunteers and carers and given a tour of the centre, which replaces the previous one in The Causeway.

The Princess Royal's visit was particularly emotional for one man, who presented her with a posy.

Brian Thomas, 63, has been raising funds for the centre since the death of his brother Roy.

He said: "To our family it means a lot. We are here to raise some donations. My brother would have been proud she had come."

Mrs Sawyer wrote to the Princess Royal in September to invite her to officially open the carers centre in New Road, as she had set up her own charity, the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, in 1991.

She said: "The centre has grown so much in four years. We have been developing new services and hopefully this visit will bring more recognition."

The centre opened in November and has six rooms as well as a main reception area, so there is accommodation for private interviews, a counselling room and space for the provision of alternative therapies.

It has contact with about 850 carers, but with an estimated 11,000 carers in the area feels this is only the tip of the iceberg.