JEWELS in the crown of our local communities were on display as south Cumbria welcomed a royal visitor to the area.

This morning Dalton and Ulverston played hosts to Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester as he paid a visit to the area.

His one-day tour of the country saw the duke drop by community projects at the Dalton Community Centre, and get hands on with one of Ulverston's foremost small businesses - Cumbria Crystal.

Just after 11am the duke's chauffeured Jaguar car pulled up outside the Dalton Community Centre, in Nelson Street.

See the moment the Duke arrived in style

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Duke has just arrived <a href="https://t.co/fGo4DuoTGs">pic.twitter.com/fGo4DuoTGs</a></p>— Jonathan Rees (@jreesNWEM) <a href="https://twitter.com/jreesNWEM/status/889428583495741440">July 24, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He was whisked inside, receiving a warm welcome from a host of distinguished local officials including both the mayor of Dalton, Councillor Ann Thurlow, and of Barrow, Councillor Tony Callister.

The duke - cousin of the Queen - came to the community centre to pay tribute to the townsfolk who had worked tirelessly to make it the thriving hub it is today.

Barry Doughty, chairman of centre's board of trustees, spoke of his pride in seeing how much the centre had grown over the years.

He said: "It was a building that was dilapidated, not fit for purpose and had a very small value. The building is now worth £500,000."

Mr Doughty said he was proud the people who saw the building transformed were being recognised by the duke.

"It's the recognition of all the hard work," he said.

Just a few of the groups the duke spoke to include the Dalton library, Jack and Jill Playgroup, and pupils from Dowdales School.

The next stop was Cumbria Crystal in Ulverston. Managing director Chris Blade and chairman of South Lakeland District Council, Councillor Eric Morrell, were on hand to greet the duke.

Taking a tour of the showroom and factory floor the duke was shown the world-famous crystal which has been featured in James Bond films and BBC dramas.

He accepted the chance to take a piece of molten glass from the furnace, blow it and then shape it with tongs.

See the moment the Duke showcased his glass blowing skills

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hidden talents of the royal family - the duke tries his hand at glass blowing <a href="https://twitter.com/CumbriaCrystal">@CumbriaCrystal</a> <a href="https://t.co/SXdFf8pLVD">pic.twitter.com/SXdFf8pLVD</a></p>— Jonathan Rees (@jreesNWEM) <a href="https://twitter.com/jreesNWEM/status/889445698458050561">July 24, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mr Blade said: "We've been waiting for a few years, hoping to have a visit from the royal family. I think we've been chosen because of our reputation, in particular the skills which are housed within the company."

Cllr Morrell was proud to see the royal family supporting small businesses such as Cumbria Crystal.

He said: "I'm so impressed by how committed members of the royal family are to understanding businesses, it should be a great boost for the organisation."

Read about the time Princess Anne stopped by Bowness