The people of Upper and Nether Poppleton turned out in their hundreds to give the Duke of York a right royal welcome when he came to their villages today.

The Duke of York meets children from Poppleton School during his visit to the tithe barn project today

Picture: Mike Tipping

Children with Union Jack flags lined the roads as Prince Andrew literally paid the two communities a flying visit.

He came to look at a series of conservation projects in the Manor Farm area of Nether Poppleton, including one to restore the village's 16th century tithe barn.

After arriving by helicopter, the Duke was met by York's Lord Mayor, Peter Vaughan, and Sheriff, Harry Briggs, as well as the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Lord Crathorne, and the commander of York Police, Supt Gary Garnett.

But he quickly got down to meeting local people, starting with the youngsters from the infant section of Upper Poppleton School.

The Prince did have a little difficulty meeting a group of older residents because they were on the wrong side of a large puddle.

"Nobody told me to put my wellies on," he quipped.

Before unveiling a plaque commemorating his visit, the Duke was entertained by Elizabethan music by pupils from York Sixth Form College, and Joseph Rowntree, All Saints, Fulford, Millthorpe and Manor schools, in York.

He then looked round the barn itself, chatting and joking with members of the building team, including staff from the main contractors, Bernard A Shepherd of Macclesfield, Cheshire.

He also inspected a nearby restored cart shed, a pond and wildlife area, before going for a drink of hot lemon in the Saxon St Everilda's Church in Nether Poppleton.

On leaving the Duke was presented with a scroll depicting the whole project by ten-year-old Nick Adams.

The £263,000 project to restore the Tithe barn, where Prince Rupert's troops are said to have rested before the battle of Marston Moor in 1644, won the Duke's own Community Initiative Charter this year.

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