In 1987 Prince Charles came to see riverside mills being transformed into apartments.

Yesterday's visit was to witness progress on another pet project – restoring the town's unique collection of canalside warehouses.

The Prince told those involved: "What you have done here is exactly what I wanted to see when I established my regeneration trust more than a decade ago.

"It has become the catalyst for regenerating the whole of Sowerby Bridge."

During his two-hour stay he gave the Royal seal of approval to what has been a labour of love for Mark and Roma Andrew.

When they came across the 18th century Salt Warehouse in the early 1970s it was in imminent danger of collapse.

They formed a trust to repair it and turn it into a home for the 12th Halifax Sea Scouts, a job the prince's trust helped to complete.

Prince Charles officially named the premises The William Andrew Memorial Headquarters after Mr and Mrs Andrew's son William, a Sea Scout killed in a road accident in 1983.

Mrs Andrew said: "We had faith in what we were trying to do for Sowerby Bridge and thankfully others picked up the baton and ran with it."

Another warehouse restored by the Sowerby Bridge Wharf Partnership in 2001 is now used for a variety of purposes including The 12.04 restaurant, run by Michelle Hind.

In the crowd yesterday was pensioner Jean Macdonald, who said: "I was here to see the prince last time and it's always lovely to have such a famous face in town."

Five-year-old Libby Race, of Bolton Brow Primary School, said: "I was really excited and have been practising how to curtsey."

Annabelle and Harriet Parker, pupils at Bowling Green Primary School, Stainland, presented the Prince with flowers.

Courtney Kerr and Zoe Hollingdale, both 10, from Bolton Brow School, said: "We were nervous but he had a big smile on his face and was really nice to us."

The Prince met Nigel and Susan Stevens who run the Sowerby Bridge boat hire company Shire Cruisers, Anthony Parker, manager of The Moorings pub, and David Johnson, of the Temujin restaurant.

He met representatives from Calderdale Council, British Waterways, Yorkshire Forward and the Heritage Lottery Fund which pumped more than £2 million into the scheme.

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