Jan 14, 2009, 11:05 GMT
Britain's Princess Anne has opened a new fire station.
The Princess Royal visited the Bedfordshire town of Dunstable yesterday (14.01.09) to officially open their new fire station - following the closure of the previous, 40-year-old building.
Anne - who arrived in a helicopter which landed at Dunstable Football Ground - was greeted by crowds of children from nearby schools, who cheered loudly on her arrival.
Before unveiling a plaque to mark the opening, the princess said: "It is a pleasure to see the investment in a building like this, not just the quality of support it gives to the fire service and its ability to function, but also for its support for the community and what it brings with it. Thank you for all your hard work."
She added: "Hopefully it fulfils all the ambitions you had for it when you first started planning for it seven years ago."
After the official ceremony, Anne was taken on a guided tour, which included a demonstration of firefighting and a road traffic collision rescue.
Dunstable station commander Mark Barter said he was delighted with the new station.
He described it as "a thoroughly modern building built to 21st century standards with fabulous training facilities and community areas".
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