Royal couple set for busy day of events

PRINCE William and Kate will officially open Francis Lodge on Friday

OLDHAMERS will be among those meeting Kate and Wills when they visit Manchester on Friday.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will arrive in the city for a full day of engagements.

Among the select locations for the visit is Francis House Children's Hospice, where the royal couple will officially open a new £3.5 million extension at the hospice.

Their schedule will also take in The National Football Museum, Manchester Town Hall and The University of Manchester.

Francis Lodge, which is a seven-bedroomed wing of the hospice, is used to care for 113 young people with life-limiting conditions.

William and Kate will meet several of the young people and their families as well as the staff and volunteers as they take part in a tour of the lodge.

Chief Executive, Rev David Ireland, who is the minister of Oldham's Union Street United Reformed Church, said: "This is a really special occasion for Francis House.

"It is 25 years to the month since Princess Diana opened Francis House, so it feels extremely fitting that her son, Prince William, is able to officially open Francis Lodge and set us off on the next stage of our journey."

A purpose-built recording studio and cinema pod, games equipment, wheelchair-friendly open spaces and a balcony feature in the parent-free zone.

Families from across the North-West are supported by the children's hospice, who offer short-term rest for free.

The hospice, which costs £4.2 million to operate, is primarily funded through charitable donations and spends 89p of every pound directly on caring for the children.

Francis House will be the last stop of the day for William and Kate, who will first attend a reception at the Urbis building which houses The National Football Museum.

Several young Mancunians who are making a difference in their communities have been selected to accompany them.

The royal couple will then take a tour of the museum, which was visited by more than 100,000 residents in its first six weeks of opening.

Next, the Duke and Duchess will attend a ceremony at the war memorial outside Manchester Town Hall where they will lay commemorative paving stones.

These are to honour Manchester's six Victoria Cross recipients as part of the First World War Centenary campaign.

The third visit will be to The National Graphene Institute to see the University of Manchester's world leading research and technology.

Before their fourth and final destination to Francis House, the couple will visit the Manchester Engineering Campus Development and help to seal a time capsule within the building's foundations.

Currently under development, MECD aims to build on the city's science and engineering heritage in its provision of a world-class academic site.