THE Prince of Wales has started a two-day programme of engagements in which he will champion regeneration projects.

The Prince of Wales today ventured inside a mothballed blast furnace which within weeks will be back operating at more than 1,000C.

The Redcar steel plant has been brought back from the edge after it was sold to Thai firm SSI, saving thousands of jobs on Teesside.

The Prince visited Redcar last year after the plant was closed and was touched by the communitys battle to find a buyer.

The huge blast furnace, the size of St Paul's Cathedral, is being refitted before being switched back on in December.

Wearing a high-visibility vest, hard hat and protective glasses, Charles was shown round the interior of the furnace where coke and iron ore will be mixed to make iron at temperatures of 1,200C.

Charles was also in Middlesbrough to open a retail unit in a shopping mall which offers traders a chance to kick off their fledgling business with low overheads.

The prince opened the Corner Emporium, which already has units for a jeweller, a skateboarding outlet and an ornament shop.

As well as benefiting from cheap rents, traders will be able to tap into business expertise from mentors.

After officially opening the previously empty premises, Charles said: "I hope this can be one small way in which a difference can be made."

Helen Milligan, who was runner-up in the Apprentice TV show, set up a similar scheme while on secondment from her employers Greggs in nearby Redcar, which impressed the prince during a visit last year.

She said: "I have met him a couple of times before and he is always really supportive of the programme."

After the visit, Labour MP for Middlesbrough Sir Stuart Bell said: "We are facing massive budget cuts and to have the prince here to lift us all up opening the Emporium is a fine thing for the town.

"The response of the people and their enthusiasm show how popular the prince is."

Skate shop owners Richard Julier and Susan Davison chatted with the royal visitor, and he revealed he used to surf.

Mr Julier said afterwards: "He is very easy to talk to. He was asking us about price ranges."