A new eight bed young people and families unit at Bosence Farm in Hayle was officially opened by the Countess of Wessex on Monday.

The Countess, accompanied by Edward Bolitho, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall and president of the substance misuse treatment charity Bosence Farm, were given a tour of the existing services provided by the 26-year-old centre.

The new facility is the only one of its kind in the country, and centres around a ground-breaking programme enabling young people to make positive change and realise their dreams and potential. The Countess unveiled a plaque which mirrored exactly the one unveiled by her husband, the Earl of Wessex when he opened the then new detox and stabilisation centre at Bosence Farm back in 2010.

Kate Cook, chief executive of Bosence Farm said: “It was such a huge honour for our charity to have had a visit from a member of the royal family. We are truly delighted to have her support. HRH is a long standing charitable supporter, particularly in championing initiatives relating to young people, and her visit will help to highlight our work and let people know about the great things we achieve at Bosence.

"We enjoyed welcoming Her Royal Highness here and we made sure she had the opportunity to meet the staff and volunteers who work so hard to ensure our residents have the best treatment and care possible.”

After the unveiling, the Countess toured the charity’s inpatient detoxification and stabilisation unit, and the residential rehab, spending time meeting staff, volunteers, service-users, doctors, councillors, funding representatives and Bosence Farm patron, Derek Thomas MP. One of the volunteers, Lee, presented the Countess with a bouquet of flowers .

Kim Hager, Cornwall Council Commissioner of the Drug and Alcohol Action Team, said: “Working in partnership with Bosence Farm on this exciting initiative has been a great success in partnership working between the Council and the voluntary sector.

"However whilst we are doing all that we can to prevent young people drinking alcohol or taking drugs and these problems arising in the first place, we have had to recognise that for some of our more vulnerable young people, we have not yet succeeded. Most young people who experience alcohol and drug-related problems can be successfully helped in the community, however a small number have much greater challenges to overcome and more complex needs.

"Cornwall also has a higher than average number of young people being admitted to hospital for alcohol related problems. To be able to adequately help them, and stop this becoming an entrenched problem in adulthood, requires a period of respite or a more intensive approach in a residential setting.

"Previously young people have been sent as far afield as Sussex and the Midlands to access these services, which makes it almost impossible to manage successfully, and it is for this reason that the council and the Community Safety Partnership supported the bid from Bosence Farm Community to Public Health England for the capital funding to build this unit in Cornwall.”