WORCESTERSHIRE is getting ready for a royal visitor tomorrow.

The Duchess of Gloucester will be in Worcester visiting Acorns Children's Hospice in Bath Road and the Motov8 charity in Gregory's Mill Street before heading to Pershore to officially open the town's new community hospital and medical centre.

At Acorns, the Duchess will meet the life-limited youngsters from across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire that the charity cares for, along with their families and members of staff.

She will also use the time to meet bereaved families who are still receiving support from Acorns before unveiling a plaque celebrating the fact that all 10 beds at the hospice are now in use.

The hospice opened in March 2005 after six years of planning but four beds had to be closed last year due to a shortage of funds.

Thanks to a huge fund-raising campaign, the four beds have now been re-opened.

David Strudley, Acorns chief executive, said: "It is very exciting for Acorns to have Her Royal Highness visit us on this wonderful occasion when we will celebrate the full opening of the hospice and thank all of those in our community who have helped to make this special day happen."

At Motov8, a charity that was set up to deal with problems such as vehicle crime and anti-social behaviour among disaffected young people by channeling their interests in mechanics into more productive directions, the Duchess will be watching the youngsters at work on two of their projects.

She will see a buggy that they are in the process of building and how they are recycling bicycle parts.

She will then travel on to Pershore to pay a visit to the new hospital and medical centre that opened earlier this year.

There she will meet health professionals and civic dignitaries before unveiling a plaque in the garden.