A ROYAL visitor came to Halton this week to dedicate the Auto Quest Stadium to the community.

The Duke of Kent unveiled a plaque on Tuesday after touring the new west stand, funded by a multi-million pound lottery grant.

It will seat 3,023 and incorporate a regional table tennis centre of excellence, a state of the art sports injury clinic, a fitness suite, cafe bar and creche.

The Duke of Kent was then invited to launch a tournament being staged to mark the 25th anniversary of Halton as a borough.

After blowing a special silver whistle, he took a seat in the south stand to watch the first matches.

World boxing champion Robin Reid was then introduced to the duke, along with various other local sporting achievers.

Four of the borough's top sportsmen and women joined the royal visitor for lunch.

Commonwealth sprint medal winner Allyn Condon, 24; England hockey player Nicky O'Donnell, 17; World special olympic games gymnast Kevin Brown, 23, and table tennis star Katy Ingham, 14, who is competing in the English National Finals this weekend chatted to him about their achievements.

The Duke was introduced to guests from two of Halton's twinning partners, Leiria in Portugal and Marzahn in Berlin.

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