A NORTH Yorkshire army training college was given the royal seal of approval when HRH The Duke of York formally opened the new campus.

Hundreds of junior soldiers and their families watched as Prince Andrew carried out his official duty at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate yesterday.

The Duke inspected a passing-in parade of 800 junior soldiers on the college drill square and congratulated them on completing their first six weeks of training.

A plaque was then unveiled by five of the college's top former students, including Lance Corporal Jon Wheatley from Peterlee, County Durham, who was the first Junior RSM.

He has since gained his first promotion stripe and is a member of the 1st Battalion The Light Infantry.

During his speech, the Duke praised the new college facilities, which have helped more than 1,000 sixteen-year-old male and female Junior Soldiers to graduate each year.

The Duke then took the opportunity to tour the campus.

The state-of-the-art facilities include nine computer suites, 32 classrooms, a 604-seat lecture theatre, six football pitches, two floodlit all-weather pitches, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, library, church and a medical and dental centre.

The college opened in 1998 in buildings used by the former Army Apprentice College in Penny Pot Lane.

It has undergone a gradual rebuild as the college has continued to operate.

The new facilities at the college have been delivered through a Private Finance Initiative in a joint venture between Jarvis Projects Limited and the Halifax bank, working with the Ministry of Defence.

Nord Anglia are leading in the provision of vocational education services to complement the military and leadership skills training being provided by the military staff.

Updated: 10:59 Saturday, October 19, 2002