A ROYAL visit brought a much-needed boost to carers in North Lincolnshire, when HRH The Princess Royal attended the 21st birthday celebrations of a Brigg Carers' Centre.

The streets outside The Princess Royal Trust Carers' Support Centre, on Redcombe Lane, Brigg, were yesterday lined with schoolchildren, residents and key figures in the caring community who all turned out to welcome Her Royal Highness to the town.

The Royal appointment gave Princess Anne an opportunity to learn about the facilities and see the plans to expand the building so the centre can extend services to provide a one stop shop for carers.

Carers' Support Centre chairwoman Jan Clift Williams, said: "This year is the 21st anniversary of the Carers' Support Centre. We are very pleased and most honoured that the Royal Highness has been able to join us for the celebrations.

"We look forward to the future and the new expansion to extend the support we give to carers for years."

The Princess Royal, who was dressed in teal, complete with neckerchief and gloves, was greeted from the Royal helicopter with a Samba band performance from students at the Vale of Ancholme Music College.

She was whisked round to the Carers' Support Centre in a silver Range Rover, accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, Tony Worth, where she was welcomed by several key representatives from across the region.

Music students from the brass section at the Vale of Ancholme played a fanfare while Princess Anne visited the marquee.

Here she spoke to groups of carers about their roles before signing the visitors' book and unveiling a plaque to commemorate her visit.

Speaking to carers before the unveiling, Princess Anne said: "I hope you will be better served in the future and I expect you to have a few more parties when that extension is finished.

"Twenty-one years is a great time to celebrate, to support you, and to thank you for your contributions."

Princess Anne was presented with a posy bouquet from Cynthia Wyer, founder of the Brigg Carers' Group.

Cynthia has cared for her husband for the past 25 years after he lost his speech and was left unable to walk at the age of 47.

In accepting the gift, Princess Anne said: "I hope the past 21 years has been slightly better for you."

Princess Anne cut the birthday celebration cake and dug the first sod on the site of the intended building extension.

Director Mike Humphries has worked at the centre from the very beginning and has been delighted to see the Carers' Support Centre expand.

He said: "It's a major celebration. I have been here since day one when there was just me and a pencil. At the time I was employed by Voluntary Action North Lincolnshire and worked from one office.

"So 21 years later I am really proud of it but I am more proud of the carers – they are the ones that deserve the medals."

He said the centre had become a base for more than 1,500 carers this year and job vacancies had arisen for three carer case leaders, who will provide one to one contact with carers each month, and there are plans to open 8am until 8pm.

He added: "We also have plans to build a £140,000 extension with a glass corridor leading to a bigger meeting room for carers because at the moment we cannot get them all in."

The Princess Royal met the staff who run the Caring with Confidence programme and the Lifelong Learning project, which recently won a National Award, and carers who have benefited from both projects.

Bottesford carer's group member, Jean Welbourne, 63, of Ashby, has looked after her 85-year-old mother, Vera Fawcett, for the past 10 years.

Vera suffers from dementia and poor mobility.

Mrs Welbourne said: "Her mobility was hard enough but the dementia made caring really hard and in the early days I never joined the support group.

"I should have joined it before because I would have had much more help. I've now realised how good the Carers' Support Group is and have been a member for the past two years.

She added: "The Royal visit has been wonderful – it's gives you a boost and it boosts awareness because a lot of people don't know how to deal with it until it happens to you."

Kay Pearson, 61, of Westcliff, has cared for her sister Patricia, 62, since she was 16 years old.

She said: "Patricia has been disabled since she was 16. She got married but her husband died.

"At the moment I'm helping to look after my daughter and my friend's daughter-in-law as I think caring should be sharing."

Mrs Pearson said without the help and support from the Carers' Support Centre she would have been 'doomed'.

She said: "My friend Ruth introduced me to the Carers' Support but before I joined the group, for four years I just couldn't bring myself to go outside the house because I had cared for Patricia for that long that I didn't do anything for myself.

"Carers' Support has made a big difference to me.

"I now benefit from relaxation exercises which I never dreamed about.

"You also meet people in the groups and share experiences – that way you feel that you are not alone because sometimes you are coping with a lot of things that are unexplainable."

Mrs Pearson said the Princess Royal was interested in talking about the difficulties young carers face.

She said: "We talked about being a young carer and going from being a young carer to an adult carer.

"That stage is sometimes harder to cope with because you do not get a lot of childhood and trying to move into the adult carers stage is difficult because you've already made friends in the young carers support services - you don't realise you're going to make more friends with the carers as an adult.

"The royal visit was fabulous. She is the most loveliest lady, really down to earth and talks to you on your own level."

Ruth Harvey, 65, has cared for her cousin Pauline Lingard, 76, for the past eight years.

Pauline suffers from liver disease osteoporosis and depression.

She said: "We kept her in her own home until last year when she went into hospital with a bladder tumour. She's now in Sycamore Lodge residential home but obviously I still support her."

Town Mayor Ben Nobbs added: "I think it's been fantastic. Everybody has thoroughly enjoyed the day and it's been good for the carers to be recognised.

"I think Princess Anne has been wonderful. She sat and talked to the groups for longer than we expected - she was very interested in what people had to say."

The following representatives took part in the Royal Visit: The High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, Mr John Godfrey CBE and Mrs Phoebe Godfrey; Deputy Mayor of North Lincolnshire, Councillor Mashook Ali and Mrs Jhorna Begum; Mayor of Brigg, Cllr Ben Nobbs and Mrs Barbara Morris; chief executive of North Lincolnshire Council, Mr Simon Driver and Mrs Pamela Driver; cabinet member for adult services, Mrs Pauline Carlile and Mrs Carole Cochrane, chief executive, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers.