FLAG-WAVING crowds shared in an historic moment when the Queen completed her tour of the county by officially opening North Bromsgrove High School's Millennium building on Thursday.

Accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant for Hereford and Worcester, Thomas Dunne, and her lady-in-waiting, the Duchess of Grafton, the Queen arrived at the School Drive venue in a classic Rolls Royce which swept up the main drive.

As the car arrived, representatives from Bromsgrove QRH Army Cadets, and the air training corps and sea cadets from Bromsgrove and Redditch raised two flags.

Wearing a lilac coat and pillbox style hat she was first greeted by Bromsgrove District Council chairman Cllr Ann Doyle (Con, Barnt Green), her partner, Peter Deeley, and town Tory MP Julie Kirkbride.

After meeting chairman of school governors Paul Vaughan, headteacher Kevin Peck took Her Majesty on the first leg of her tour around the school.

She was handed a bouquet of flowers from 14-year-old pupils Jon Ware and Jenny Stockwell who said they were excited about the visit.

The 40-minute tour began in the new £1.2m state-of-the-art building where the line-up included students and teachers from the maths department.

Weaver plc managing director Mark Weaver and his team, which designed and built the new building, chatted to the Queen about the work.

Mr Weaver said: "She was particularly interested in the 'grass-like roof' of the building."

Then it was onto the library where another posy was presented to the Queen by Meadows First School pupil Jamal Sedougit and Maisie Buckeley, from Lickey End First School.

Youngsters from other feeder schools to North Bromsgrove also caught a glimpse of the monarch.

In the library, the Queen also met members of the school's Gambia Committee which runs a 12-year-old link with the Armitage Secondary School, in Africa.

Some pupils and members wore the country's national costume.

After a stop in the sports hall, where Her Majesty met pupils from Catshill's Chadsgrove School, who compete in the gruelling Kielder Challenge, a national outdoor pursuits contest, it was off to the main hall where the whole school was assembled.

After speeches by Mr Peck and Mr Vaughan, the Queen unveiled a commemorative stone to mark the event and signed the school's visitors' book.

The plaque was made by Weaver plc and it took three men to lift it onto a special stand.

Head boy Paul Brown gave a vote of thanks.

He said to the Queen: "We know that many of us who are here to witness it will never forget the day you came to North Bromsgrove High School."

Head girl Hanntejie Lowe then presented a gift to the Queen.

The whole school sang the National Anthem before the Queen was whisked away by her waiting car.

After the visit Mr Peck told the Advertiser/Messenger: "Her Majesty was very warm, very cheerful. She was very interested in the Gambian link because of course she is head of the Commonwealth.

"We're perhaps the only school in the country with a charity and exchange link with a school in Africa.

"She was also very impressed with the music and said to me, 'It's obvious music is very strong here.'

"It wasn't nerve-wracking at all - it was an absolute delight."

The Queen is believed to have been the first reigning monarch to visit Bromsgrove.

Earlier on Thursday she and the Duke of Edinburgh had visited Worcester.

While the Queen was at North Bromsgrove High School, the Duke stopped off at Avoncroft Museum.