The Princess Royal toured the £30m facility meeting staff, students, governors, and local stakeholders.
She unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the site, which houses St Benedict’s Roman Catholic Secondary School and Mayfield Special School.
The Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to officially open Campus Whitehaven, and was then presented with flowers by students. She was also taken on a tour of the new site, which includes Mayfield School as well as St Benedict’s School.
Jamie Reed, Sellafield Ltd head of corporate affairs, said: “This is our largest single social impact investment. I think it will prove to be one of the best decisions we ever made.
“Campus Whitehaven is a world class learning environment and a real statement of the confidence we have in the future of our community.”
The royal visit was an opportunity for staff, students, and the community to officially mark the site’s opening.
The Princess was greeted by crowds of flag waving students from Mayfield.
Gillian Temple, Mayfield School headteacher, said: “We were delighted and honoured to have opportunity to showcase our wonderful new facilities.
!Her Royal Highness enjoyed seeing our fantastic new learning environment along with the commitment and dedication of all our students and staff.”
The tour of St Benedict’s site included a performance of their recent Rock Challenge piece, as well as visiting some lessons and the new sports facilities and winter gardens area.
Steve Bridgman, Acting Headteacher at St Benedict’s, said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome all of our guests to St Benedict’s today. It was a great opportunity for our students and staff to show off their new school and be able to show how we can share them with the local community.”
John McQuirk, Chair of Governors at St Benedict’s, said: “This was a fantastic way to officially open Campus Whitehaven. It was an honour to showcase our new facilities to all of our special guests.”
Sellafield Ltd supply chain director Martin Chown was among the invited guests.
He said: “It was a fabulous occasion. The building looks tremendous and the energy and enthusiasm of the students was genuinely uplifting.
“The campus will help raise educational attainment levels so more young people can access future opportunities in our decommissioning programme and beyond.
“It’s a genuine community asset which is already improving lives in west Cumbria. It’s a perfect demonstration of our social impact strategy in action.”
