Celebrating Poundbury Magazine Issue 6: The bright thinkers and entrepreneurs | Page 14

Royal
VISITS
ING POU
N
HAPPY
70 th
ING POU
N
AT
BIRTHDAY
R
AT
UR
R
B
I
n the last year, HRH The Prince of Wales has visited Poundbury
twice. His regular tours are always met with excitement from
residents, businesses and visitors.
The Prince has been coming to Poundbury since the first bricks
were placed 25 years ago. He attends a range of public and private
engagements, where he speaks to the key people involved with the
development so that he is kept up to date.
At the end of May, The Prince visited the stonemasonry school at
Weymouth College’s workshops on Middle Farm Way. He met a variety
of stonemasons and saw their work for the dinosaur-themed Stone Boss
Carving Competition this summer.
During the visit, The Prince also viewed the 30ft sculpture being carved
for the Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory (MEMO) project. Designed
by Sebastian Brooke, a Monmouth-based stone carver and Weymouth
stonemasonry school alumnus, the sculpture will eventually become part
of a project called ‘The Journey’, for the geological heritage of the Jurassic
Coast at a new world-class visitor experience on the Isle of Portland.
The Prince then took a tour of Poundbury and popped into the newly
re-opened FINCA at the Buttermarket and Wessex ECOEnergy as well
as meeting residents and visitors.
In November, The Prince made a special visit to Poundbury to officially
open Damers First School. Hundreds of children, teachers and parents
cheered and waved flags as the school was officially opened.
14 WWW.CELEBRATINGPOUNDBURY.CO.UK
WWW.CELEBRATINGPOUNDBURY.CO.UK 15