STAFF at Lostwithiel's newly-transformed Duchy Nursery are busy preparing for a very special visitor – Prince Charles.

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall will be at the centre on July 12 as part of a two-day visit to Devon and Cornwall. The visit is particularly relevant because the green-fingered, eco-minded royal has had a key part in the centre's redesign.

A spokesman for Clarence House, the Prince's residence, said: "The Duchy Nursery has undergone a major development and now boasts an impressive sustainable building, which is home to a new café and shop.

"The Prince of Wales has been personally involved in the project, working closely with designers and nursery staff on the plans, which reflect his interest in traditional building methods and horticulture. With that in mind, local tradesmen and suppliers have been engaged wherever possible on the project, including the Lostwithiel-based Duchy Timber."

Food served in the café will be sourced from local producers and local and recycled artefacts will reflect the shop and café's "potting shed" theme.

The new building will create seven permanent jobs plus a range of part-time positions and along with the new plans for the garden layout, aims to secure the nursery's future.

The Duke and Duchess will officially open the development, almost a year to the day that the Duke visited the site as work on the building began.

They will also visit the Eden Project to celebrate its tenth anniversary and the Dairy Crest Creamery at Davidstow to mark the opening of its ecofriendly biomass boilers.

They will then meet dedicated staff, trustees and volunteers at a tea party in celebration of the Cornwall Rural Community Council's 65th anniversary.