A TODDLER from Hindhead was the guest of honour at the opening of RHS Wisley’s flagship £20 million Welcome Centre on Monday.

Rosie O’Hare came into the world thanks to emergency support by RHS Wisley staff, when her mother Camilla gave birth early on a visit to Wisley in 2016.

Rosie’s dad Matthew said: “It was the day before Camilla’s due date and she began to have mini-contractions.

“The staff were great and took Camilla to the first aid centre.

“Rosie is now a RHS life member and has a tree planted in her honour.”

There, young Rosie mingled with Wisley’s other distringuished guests, including Mary Berry and Britain’s best-loved gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who cut the garland to the new centre.

The state of the art new building will stock the widest range of plants and specialist growers in the UK, together with a larger restaurant, cafe and visitor facilities, and is the first phase in an upgrade totalling £70m.

RHS ambassador and vice-president, Mr Titchmarsh, who lives in Holybourne, opened the new facility with RHS director general Sue Biggs.

Backing the ‘Greening Great Britain Promise’, Mr Titchmarsh said: “It is the sheer variety of plant material that safeguards us against future epidemics, but the numbers of specialist nurseries has halved in the last 20 years.”