A NEW centre that will help with the rehabilitation of people with spinal injuries has been given the Royal seal of approval.

HRH Princess Anne officially opened the Livability Spinal Injury Centre at Holton Lee today.

The centre will provide respite and rehabilitation services to people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

During her visit the Princess Royal was given a tour of the facilities on site and met with service users on Livability’s Flourish project - a gardening scheme for disabled people and people living with mental illness.

She talked with guests discussing the “importance of such a facility” to help people deal with both the physical and psychological affects of a spinal cord injury.

After unveiling a plaque to commemorate the opening she praised the new centre and thanked Livability’s “regular supporters”

She said the centre was “opening the doors for a very specific kind of support” and that she “looked forward to seeing what the achievements of these facilities can bring”.

The Princess Royal, who is also Patron of Livability, was then presented with a posy and some kindling wood by service user Robert Lawrence.

The event was attended by a wide range of visitors including local dignitaries, health and spinal injury services, supporters, donors, service users and members of the local community.

Building on and maintaining rehabilitation skills learnt in specialist NHS SCI services, the new centre will focus on providing visitors with a range of practical support to equip them for life beyond their injury.

The centre is a new and adapted facility that Livability has had developed by the construction team Stepnell.

Once open in April this year, the centre will have spaces for up to 13 people to stay at any one time.

Service visitors will benefit from the centre’s independence kitchen, fully accessible en-suite rooms and indoor therapy gym.

The project has been backed by The Bradbury Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation and The Talbot Village Trust.

The Earl of Shaftesbury, Nick Ashley Cooper, also spoke at the event. He said: “The opening of this state-of-the-art spinal injury centre really excites me.

“As someone that has sustained and recovered from a spinal cord injury, I know personally what a life-changer it is and why the need for good rehabilitation is vital.”