WATCH: Hundreds of well-wishers greet William and Kate in Ballymena

By Press Association Reporters

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been greeted by hundreds of cheering well-wishers in Ballymena on the second day of their Northern Ireland visit.

Several hundred people lined the streets of the Co Antrim town as William and Kate went on a walkabout.

The crowds, many waving flags, braved the cold outside the Braid Centre.

(Photos - Press Association Reporter)

The couple were there to learn more about the work of Cinemagic - a charity that uses film, TV and digital technologies to inspire and educate young people.

It was the first public engagement on the second and final day of their visit to Northern Ireland.

They started Thursday with a private meeting with officers and staff from the Police Service of Northern Ireland at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down.

During the Ballymena walkabout, they spoke to members of the public who had been waiting a number of hours to catch a glimpse before heading inside the centre.

Wearing a Mulberry coat, Kate chatted to officials from Mid and East Antrim Council while William spoke to DUP MP Ian Paisley, who presented him with a wooden walking stick.

The couple then talked to Emma Noble and Jack Francis, who played them a short film they recently made.

They also watched young budding directors and producers as they practised shooting a film.

The Duke and Duchess chatted to the Cinemagic members as they demonstrated the software used to help create programmes and films.

(William and Kate inside The Braid - meeting youngsters from the 'Cinemagic' project. Photo - PA Reporter)

Kate was also given a lesson in special effects make-up.

William revealed to a young boy that his five-year-old son George loves animated action film How To Train Your Dragon.

Young Regan was showing the duke how he makes dragons from pieces of coloured paper when William described how his eldest son loved the children's film.

The royal couple then watched a group of young people perform a play about divisions in Northern Ireland.

Savanna Burney Keatings, seven, presented the couple with flowers and told Kate how she played Grace in local movie Grace And Goliath.

The film tells the story of Hollywood bigshot Josh Jenkins, who is forced to stay with a family in Belfast after finding himself penniless in the city when a movie goes wrong.

"I told her I had a great time on the film set," Savanna said. "Kate was very nice and William was very nice too."

(Duchess of Cambridge Kate with a child at St.Joseph's Sure Start Ballymena. Photo - PA Reporter)

For the final stop of their two day visit here, the duke and duchess have arrived at a childcare centre in Ballymena, Co Antrim, for the final stop of their two-day visit to Northern Ireland.

William and Kate's arrival was greeted with cheers from a number of local people gathered outside the front of St Joseph's SureStart centre in the Dunclug area of the town, which supports parents with children aged under four years.

They were officially welcomed to the facility by the Vice Lord Lieutenant for Antrim Richard Reade.

Also among the greeting party was Derek Baker, permanent secretary of Northern Ireland's Department of Education, and Marie Roulston, from the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB).

William and Kate were then accompanied inside the building by centre manager Jennifer Campbell and Lauren McDermott, SureStart family support services co-ordinator.

The couple are set to meet children, parents and members of staff, as well as seeing some of the programmes the centre provides, including a family support group.

The visit to Ballymena comes after a range of high-energy engagements on Wednesday.

William and Kate played football at Belfast's Windsor Park and took part in a canoe race in Co Fermanagh, before rounding the day off by pulling pints at a reception for young leaders at Belfast's famous Empire music hall.