HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh ‘s Surrey Day Out

Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh,  came to Surrey on 25th September for three visits. The day started with a welcome by schoolchildren waving flags from Hale Nursery and Primary Academy near Farnham before a tour of Hale Community Centre & Youth Centre commenced.

The visit marked 25 years of creating positive change for the Hale and Sandy Hill communities and was a significant occasion for both organisations as it highlighted their ongoing work and the positive impact they have on the community. 

Upon arrival, The Duchess was received by Mary Creswell DL, the Vice Lord- Lieutenant and Farnham Town Clerk Iain Lynch. She was then met by the headteacher of Hale Nursery and Primary Academy, before receiving a warm welcome from pupils who attend the nursery and school. The Duchess saw the youngsters busy planting bulbs under the guidance of Iain McCready and the grounds team from Farnham Town Council. 

Her Royal Highness then met the Chair of Trustees and the Manager of Hale Community & Youth Centre and spent some time with mothers who attend the Community Centre’s Stay and Play toddler group held in Hale Family Centre. 

Norma Corkish, Chair of Trustees of Hale Community & Youth Centre said: “It was a great privilege to welcome Her Royal Highness to meet members of the community and our volunteers. We are immensely proud of the wide range of work that has been undertaken by the centre over the past 25 years. Knowing that The Duchess has an interest in equality for women and is an advocate for young people, it was an honour to introduce her to some of the people who benefit from our services and for her to hear first-hand the impact our services have on the community.”

As a World Craft Town, The Duchess’s visit wouldn’t have been complete without the opportunity to see how craft contributes towards building an inclusive community for all. The Duchess met pupils from Ridgeway School who were making lanterns for Farnham’s first Lantern Festival, which will conclude the 2024 October Craft Month. This was followed by an introduction to the Chief Executive of Creative Response and a special art programme for Ukrainian families who have settled in the area.

Kathryn McManus from Creative Response said: “Having the opportunity to show The Duchess a sample of the artwork created by Farnham’s Ukrainian community and to talk a little more about how our arts-based workshops help people experiencing mental health, learning and physical difficulties was a proud moment and one which I shall remember.”

The Duchess visited the Senior Group who were enjoying a games morning and received a bouquet of flowers; and joined in singing ‘happy birthday’ for one of the attendees. Hale Community and Youth Centre has a purpose to provide a safe, welcoming and inspiring environment where the whole community is encouraged and enabled to thrive. One of the ways it fulfils this purpose is by running a community fridge and cupboard, and a drop-in lunch prepared by volunteers. The Duchess met some of the volunteers who help those most in need as well as helping to minimise food waste. 

With younger people being very much the focus of Her Royal Highness’s visit, the Mayor of Farnham, the Chair of 40 Degreez Youth Centre and other community representatives who are involved in working with Farnham’s young people enjoyed the opportunity to share how they are supporting Farnham’s young people. 

After hearing more about what it is like to be a young person in Farnham, The Duchess met volunteers from the Farnham Support Fund. This Fund was initially set up to support people facing financial difficulties during COVID but which now helps those facing financial hardship and fuel poverty caused by the cost of living crisis. 

The visit concluded with The Duchess of Edinburgh being invited to unveil a commemorative plaque which can be seen in Hale Community & Youth Centre. 

Speaking after the unveiling, the Mayor of Farnham, Councillor Brodie Mauluka said: “Today was a special day for our community as we shared the work of so many organisations working together to tackle hardship and isolation and improve well-being and inclusiveness. Her Royal Highness showed great interest in learning about how we are creating better opportunities for our young citizens. The day was very memorable, and I would like to thank all our volunteers for the work they do to make Farnham a better place for all.”

Visit 2 – ‘Mane Chance Sanctuary’

The Duchess of Edinburgh was then  welcomed with sunshine at Mane Chance Sanctuary in Compton. She was accompanied by Bill Biddell, a Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey.

Mane Chance is home to 35 rescued horses who, having lived lives of abuse and neglect, are rehabilitated and taught to trust again. The Sanctuary also welcomes members of the local community who are often living with mental health concerns, disability, illness and disadvantage. They benefit from time with the horses in the beautiful and calm surroundings.

The Duchess met some of the rescued horses, ex-battery hens and rescued dogs, as well as many of Mane Chance’s team of staff and volunteers to learn about the work that the charity does.

Attending the visit, alongside the Mane Chance team, were residents from The Queen Elizabeth Park Care home in Guildford, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme student volunteers, some of the community children that attend sessions and Young People with Dementia. One of the community children presented The Duchess with a gift from the Sanctuary and The Duchess helped her to weigh Barnaby, one of the Shetland ponies, as he was doing his best not to step onto the weighing scales! She also cuddled Stumpy the hen, fed beech branches to Gwen (the matriarch of the ‘family herd’) and saw how Pudding, an elderly mare, benefits from treatment from Louise Mauferon Vernet, an equine osteopath.

The charity, which is funded entirely by public donations, was very proud to be able to welcome The Duchess to their sanctuary. Jenny Seagrove, the charity’s founder said: “I was really moved by how understanding and gentle she was with the animals she met – it was a privilege to be able to share some of what we do with her.”  The charity manager, Abi Smart, was struck by The Duchess’s empathy saying, “She totally understood both our animal care and the work we do in the community and was so kind, taking time to talk to everyone.”

Visit 3 – ‘Parity For Disability’

The Duchess, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Sam Hibbs, DL then visited ‘Parity for Disability’ based in Mytchett, to meet the people with multiple disabilities who use the service and the specialist staff who support them. She experienced many of the activities that take place at the service and learned more about the people with multiple disabilities who use it. The 54 people aged 18+ who use Parity’s  three-day services in Farnborough, Hampshire and in Camberley and Mytchett, Surrey, engage in chosen activities, build friendships and networks, use and develop skills, and visit amenities and facilities in the surrounding community and beyond. Parity’s staff are trained, and its services equipped so everyone using them can pursue a good quality of life.  They  believe that people with multiple disabilities should have as many as possible of the same choices, quality of life opportunities and aspirations as others.

Her Royal Highness’s visit followed an invitation from Parity student – Nick Simmons. who issued his invitation to The Duchess after beginning to craft a model Buckingham Palace out of pasta. HRH admired the work in progress and glued a piece of pasta to it before meeting students and staff carrying out a cooking activity and helped to decorate a cake before visiting the newly refurbished sensory space.

HRH also met a student using a Motomed accessible bike, regularly used by almost everyone at the service. Another highlight of the visit was when The Duchess of Edinburgh shared a joke with Parity student Brian Randell after trying out ‘Eyegaze’ eye-controlled technology with him.

“It’s much harder than it looks, so I have a newfound respect for all of you using Eyegaze. It’s not easy,” Her Royal Highness said.

Executive Director Alison Cooper said, “This has been an unforgettable day for everyone involved and an amazing opportunity to highlight the achievements of the people with multiple disabilities who use Parity’s services and our wonderful, dedicated staff.”

Senior Keyworker Rosa Di Lorenzo said. “She was so friendly, warm and personable and very interested in all the students, and what we do here,”

Her Royal Highness took the time to sign the visitors book before being presented with gifts and flowers by the students.