The Princess Royal dropped into Alton last Friday to make her first official visit to Treloar College. It was a red letter day for the college at the start of an exciting centenary year - one made all the more special as The Princess Royal has agreed to become patron of the £6 million Treloar Centenary Appeal. Arriving by helicopter in the college grounds, the Princess was met by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mary Fagan, and escorted to the main college buildings where she was introduced to chairman of trustees for the Treloar Trust Bruce Powell, chief executive Tony Reid, Treloar College principal Graham Jowett, chairman of the college student council Ben Rushgrove and other local civic dignitaries. For the Princess this was a fact-finding mission and an opportunity to talk to staff and students about the work and activities that have shaped Treloar's reputation as a trailblazer for the education and development of young people with physical disabilities both in the UK and throughout the world. The royal visitor spent time viewing various activities in the college's learning resource centre before moving on to the rehabilitation engineering department to see how adapted wheelchairs and specialised assistance are provided to help students manage their disabilities. She later watched Treloar's performing arts group and even called into the college shop - a working part of the Treloar's business centre. Next on the agenda was an opportunity to meet the Treloar's fundraising team -among them trustees, governors, staff and volunteers -before being briefed on the work of the trust and the centenary appeal by Tony Reid and fundraising director Hilary Hares. As a registered charity, the Treloar Trust needs to raise more than £2m every year to enable the educational work of the college and school to continue. But, it seems, in order to keep pace with technological advancement and to accommodate state-of-the-art equipment, Treloar's needs to expand. And so, 100 years after the Treloar Trust was founded by the then Lord Mayor of London Sir William Purdie Treloar, a centenary appeal has been launched to raise £2m every year for the next three years. The Princess Royal has said that she is "delighted" to be involved in the charity appeal which marks three key milestones in the history of Treloar's - the start of fund raising in 1906, the official launch of the trust in 1907, and the subsequent creation of facilities in Alton in 1908. In a prior message of support, the Princess wrote: "For 100 years the vision of Sir William Treloar has been transforming the lives of some of the most disabled young people in Britain, and inspiring those who work with them.  "I have been deeply impressed by the dedication of the staff at Treloar's and by the vitality and warmth of the students. I applaud their spirit of enterprise and self-reliance, which has won them outstanding achievements in the fields of education, sport and the arts. "I wish you well. I am delighted to be working with you to enable Treloar's to shape the future for young disabled people for the next 100 years." During this 2006-08 fundraising period, Treloar's aims to build on its past success by creating three new "building blocks", each aimed at increasing independence for physically disabled young people. A new hall of residence is to be located at Treloar College in Holybourne, to promote independent living; improved 21st century learning facilities at Treloar School in Upper Froyle will increase student choice, skills and knowledge; and a "Moving On" outreach project, designed to boost post-education independence in the community, has been launched in Woking and in Lewisham, south London. The outreach project is a significant step in extending the work of Treloar's outside the college boundaries, to bridge a gap which is widely recognised, not least by those with first-hand experience. Some of the students who met the Princess Royal during her visit were upbeat about the future and had impressive plans. And in his address, college principal Graham Jowett emphasised the fact that Treloar's definitely does not aim to provide a protective environment, but pushes hard to give students the best education available and to encourage them to take control of their lives and be assertive. There was clear evidence of this ethos among the students presented to the Princess. As one of the youngest members of the GB boccia team, David Smith, 16, is currently ranked 34th in the world and hopes to take part in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. But he is also studying A levels at Alton College and and wants to become an aeronautical scientist. Treloar School head boy, 16-year-old Matthew Gunning, has his sights set firmly on a career in law and politics. He is passionate about improving the image of disabled people as a valuable asset to society. It is a subject close to the heart of patron Michael Aspel, whose son, Patrick, was a student at Treloar's for eight years. Describing the establishment as "a top joint", Mr Aspel said the problem for students was that having had the right preparation for life in the outside world. The question was often how to put it into action. "The college gives students a great start in life but something needs to be done about finding employment," said Mr Aspel, who for this reason was hugely supportive of the "Moving On" project and of the appeal as a whole. While the students themselves are viewed as the inspiration behind the appeal and the "most potent marketing tool" any campaign could have, royal patronage is seen as a major coup. Bruce Powell told The Herald: "We are naturally thrilled and greatly honoured that the Princess Royal has become our appeal patron. Her involvement will undoubtedly raise our profile and boost public awareness of the appeal but equally.......it is a tremendous acknowledgement of those who work and study at Treloar's."