THE award-winning village of Warboys played host to a visit by HRH The Duke of Gloucester on Tuesday (July 13).

THE award-winning village of Warboys played host to a visit by HRH The Duke of Gloucester on Tuesday.

The visit comes after Warboys was named Cambridgeshire Village of the Year three times in the past 10 years at the national Calor Village of the Year competition.

His Royal Highness met residents who had contributed to Warboys’ success with a visit to the Parish Church and Warboys Community Primary School where he unveiled the pirate ship outdoor play equipment funded by the Parent Teacher Association.

The Duke of Gloucester also visited the village library and then the sports ground where he unveiled a plaque to commemorate his visit.

Chairman of Warboys Parish Council, Councillor Stephen Kessel said: “We were delighted to welcome His Royal Highness which is a tribute to all the hard work by so many people to make Warboys such a special place to live. Having been Cambridgeshire Village of the Year in 2000, 2004 and 2009 demonstrates the community spirit that exists in Warboys and we were honoured to welcome a royal guest in recognition of the village’s success.”

The occasion marked the first royal visit to Warboys since 1944 when HRH King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited RAF Warboys to honour airmen of the Pathfinder Force who were stationed at the former airfield during the Second World War. While at Warboys, HRH The Duke of Gloucester viewed a commemorative stained glass window of the Pathfinders at the Parish Church and met organisers of the annual Pathfinders Reunion, which still takes place in Warboys.