Princess Anne opens Haymarket Metro station

Mar 30 2010 by Katie Davies, The Journal

THE Princess Royal was given a warm welcome in the North East yesterday when she unveiled three projects in the region.

Princess Anne officially opened the new Haymarket Metro Station, in Northumberland Street, Newcastle, before heading onto Beacon Hill School and Specialist College for Business and Enterprise, Rising Sun Cottages, Wallsend and Olympic yacht builder Ovington Boats in North Shields.

Before cutting the ribbon at the Metro Station, on Northumberland Street, she boarded a train at Jesmond and took the Metro to Haymarket.

Crowds gathered outside the station to watch the official opening. She was greeted by flag-waving schoolchildren and was handed flowers by Reece Burbridge, of St Mary’s School, in Cullercoats, North Tyneside.

The 11-year-old said: “My name was picked out of the hat to do this. I can’t believe I gave flowers to a real life princess. I was really nervous and shaking but everything went really well.

“She asked me if I should be at school but I told her I was going back on the afternoon.”

Busker Dave Fudge entertained the Princess as she stepped off the Metro and travelled up the escalator to cut the ribbon.