Workers at Flimby’s New Balance factory will meet the Prince of Wales when he visits the area next week.

Prince Charles will visit the factory on Monday as part of its celebrations to mark 35 years of manufacturing in Cumbria.

Factory manager Andy Okolowicz said: “We feel privileged and honoured for the prince to choose New Balance following his previous visit in 1985 and are all delighted at the prospect.

“We think the visit is in every way a crowning achievement to mark 35 years of manufacturing in the UK.”

The prince will take a tour of the factory on St Helen’s Lane, which employs 270 people and produces 600,000 pairs of shoes each year, 80 per cent of which are exported.

He previously visited New Balance’s manufacturing centre when it was based in Workington. Operations moved to Flimby in 1991.

The factory is working with Active Cumbria to deliver the 100 Mile Challenge Programme, engaging with 25 schools and more than 4,000 children who have taken up the challenge to walk 100 miles over the year.

Prince Charles will also visit Ennerdale to celebrate the anniversary of The Gather, a community co-operative formed to save the local pub from closure and went on to create a new gym, cafe and village shop.

He will preview the regenerated Rosehill Theatre in Whitehaven and open the Whitehaven Foyer, a charity partnership which provides accommodation and support services to young people in housing need.