PRINCESS Anne was welcomed by cheering youngsters when she arrived in Chippenham to officially open a new school and to see CCTV cameras in operation.

The Princess was marking the opening of the new school, which was rebuilt and moved to a different site in February this year.

During her visit, she met more than 100 pupils and chatted with them about their lessons, activities and their work raising money for local and national charities.

Head boy Alex Collins and head girl Steph Brown, both 17, escorted her around the school.

After visiting the classrooms, the Princess was presented with a posy of yellow roses by Thomas Mullholland and Sophie Warlow, 11, the two youngest pupils in the school.

Pupils Sophie Dullick, Samantha Freeman and Natalie Cook, all 15, presented the Princess with a cheque for £1,051 for the Save The Children Fund.

Headteacher Christopher Montacute said: "We are very proud of our new school and it is a privilege to have Her Royal Highness here today to officially open it."

The visit ended with a fly past by three Hercules aeroplanes from nearby RAF Lynham.

After visiting the school, the Princess officially opened Wootton Bassett's brand new CCTV control room. The town recently doubled the number of cameras it operates, and supervisor Mike Tupman showed the Princess how operators work them and then introduced her to 22 of the 40 volunteers who man the centre.

She then presented certificates to Marie Hughes, who had completed 100 hours of volunteer work, and Owen Hardcock, who had put in more than 600 hours in the control room.

After the presentation the Princess chatted to some of the volunteers.

Town clerk Jonathan Bure said: "I was particularly pleased that she spent such a lot of time talking to the volunteers, because they are the people who make the whole system possible.

"She was very friendly and really put people at their ease."