A brand new leisure centre in Leatherhead received the royal seal of approval when the Duke of Kent came to unveil a commemorative plaque.

His Royal Highness was joined on March 24 by councillors and special guests at a ceremony where he was presented with a special lifetime membership.

Prior to the official presentation he was given a guided tour of the newly refurbished £12.6m facility which now features some of the most-up-to-date fitness equipment in Mole Valley.

Councillor John Northcott, chairman of Mole Valley District Council, said in his address at the opening: “Today we are celebrating the completion of the refurbishment of this magnificent centre. It is a fitting conclusion to a year which has also seen the youth of Mole Valley becoming the overall champions at the Surrey Youth Games and, more recently, the announcement that a significant part of the route of the 2012 Olympic Games road cycle races will be within the district”.

Darren Mepham chief executive of Mole Valley District Council, said: "I was delighted to be able to welcome His Royal Highness to the leisure centre. He was particularly impressed by the range of activities that he saw and the fact that the centre catered for so many different age groups and interests.

"We are very proud of what has been achieved here and it’s a good example of a major project being delivered on time and to budget."

The refurbished centre, which was first built in the 1970s, took 20 months to complete after it was commissioned by Mole Valley District Council.