THE children’s centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital will be given a Royal seal of approval next month when the Countess of Wessex attends its official opening ceremony.

During her visit, on Tuesday, May 23, the Countess will be shown the work of the £3.8million unit and will meet children, parents and staff, before unveiling a commemorative plaque.

She is due to arrive at 10.30am and her visit is expected to last about an hour.

David Astley, East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive, said everyone was excited about the visit.

He added: “Although it has only been open a matter of weeks, we are already very proud of our new children’s centre and are looking forward to showing the Countess of Wessex the many services on offer.”

The children’s assessment centre, which opened on March 27, is the first of its kind in the country.

As well as being a day unit, the centre also offers all the services that were provided at the Mary Sheridan Centre.

The building has been designed to be as child-friendly as possible, with play areas, parent rooms and quiet waiting rooms.

The centre also has an information room where parents can find out more about their children’s condition and treatment.