PRINCESS Anne was given a royal welcome to the town when she officially opened a new £3.5m independent hospital for people with a brain injury.

The Princess Royal was at Chalkdown House in Edison Park, Dorcan, yesterday morning where she met service users and their families, together with a range of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation support staff.

The Mayor of Swindon Mick Bray and South Swindon MP Robert Buckland also attended, as did Nick Thatcher who, through the Huw Thatcher Trust, has donated funds for the hospital’s IT suite.

The charity’s vice-patron, Gabby Logan, was also at the event.

Just before unveiling the plaque at the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust facility, Princess Anne said: “Thank you for your invitation. It is not the first time I have visited one of BIRT’s establisments, it is the third time.

“It is really good to see what has changed, but also to see the numbers involved since the first time I did this.

“The service users feed back into your system about how to do it better and it all comes together in places like this.

“It is a pleasure to see this in Swindon. I am sure Chalkdown House will be as happy and constructive a place as all your others.”

Service user Matt Onions showed the princess his baking talents, Annette Peach demonstrated how physiotherapy is helping her regain lost movement and Leo McCarthy used IT – all as part of their rehabilitation programmes at other centres across the country.

Susan Munroe,the director of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust, said: “The Princess Royal was so engaged with all the service users and she spoke to all of them. “She cheered them up and made them feel special. It was a wonderful day for them.

“It was a wonderful way for us to launch the service and tell the local community what we do.

“This centre will be taking people who are at an earlier stage of their illness than the service users here today.

“It is a fantastic purpose-built facility. It is a 20-bed unit and we will be looking after about 40 people a year.

“People in Swindon can be very proud they have got one of the very few independent hospitals for people with brain injuries in the country.”

Rupert Johnston, 35, who suffered a brain injury in a road accident when he was 18, presented a posy to the princess at the end of the visit.

Rupert’s parents Gill and David, of Hertfordshire, said BIRT’s services were a great support to the whole family.

David said: “Suddenly you are thrown into a whole world of knowing nothing about what you need to do. It changes your life, not just Rupert’s but the whole family’s.

“As parents, we found there was no natural progression from the hospital to the next stage, which is recovery. The social worker found this for us and it is just fantastic.

Gill said: “We are 16 years down the road and you could easily give up trying to retrain the brain but BIRT have never given up.

“Five years ago he could not have done what he did this morning. He was brilliant. He was excited and nervous to have been chosen to present the posy.”

The Johnston family, including Rupert’s sister Izzy, and her husband Harry Judd, have raised thousands of pounds for BIRT.

Rupert is currently a resident at BIRT’s Kent House in Aylesbury.

Robert Buckland, said: “Having this facility in Swindon is a great bonus. Yet again we have managed to secure an important facility for the whole of the south west because we are in the right place geographically. It is a really good day for Swindon.”