Latest Press Release
The Prince of Wales to tour Britain
15th August 2010
The Prince of Wales will go on a five-day tour of Britain next month, highlighting some of the best examples of communities and individuals starting to live more sustainably.
Part of The Prince’s START initiative, the Royal Tour will include visits to a community-run city farm in Newcastle, a town-wide “grow your own” project in Yorkshire, and an energy savings company in Nottingham as well as three national START festivals, two START Living Shops and a civic dinner in Manchester.
The Royal Tour will begin in Glasgow on Monday 6th September, before heading to Edinburgh, Carmarthen, Bristol, Newcastle, Todmorden, Manchester, Nottingham, and Birmingham, before ending up in London on Friday 10th September.
The Prince of Wales will be travelling on the Royal Train, which runs on sustainable bio-fuel, hosting a series of meetings and receptions between station stops. Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cornwall will join the tour for the Bristol and London visits.
In Glasgow, The Prince will:
- visit an exhibition by the START partners on the concourse of Glasgow Central Station;
- meet representatives from Glasgow City’s sustainability projects;
- start a Glasgow to Edinburgh cycle challenge; and
- depart Glasgow Central Station by Royal Train, piped out by a lone piper.
In Edinburgh, The Prince will:
- arrive by Royal Train at Waverley Station and walk to St Andrew’s Square to visit Scotland’s START Festival; and
- visit a special START Living Shop in St James’s Shopping Centre, where members of the public can get advice and products to help them lead more sustainable lives.
In Wales, The Prince will:
- visit Wales’s START Festival at the National Botanic Garden for Wales;
- launch the “Size of Wales Rainforest Project”;
- launch the The Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s Green Guide for Historic Buildings;
- launch the Carmarthenshire Community Challenge.
In Bristol, The Prince and The Duchess will:
- join shoppers around the special START exhibition in Cabot Circus Shopping Centre;
- meet community groups, including the Bristol Cycle group, a local energy savings advice group, and representatives of the award-winning shopping centre itself;
- hear and meet a local Gospel Choir; and
- officially open the START Living Advice Centre.
In Newcastle, The Prince will:
- visit a city farm which was re-opened after local community activism and the formation of a partnership with the City Council; and
- unveil a START beehive, as part of a Newcastle-wide beehive scheme.
In Todmorden, The Prince will:
- be taken on a tour of the town by volunteers from the Incredible Edible Todmorden Scheme (identified as a “breakthrough project” by the Sustainable Development Commission);
- see examples of where public spaces have been used to grow vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers for communal use; and
- visit the town’s market which sells local produce from the scheme.
In Manchester, The Prince will:
- meet representatives from grassroots community projects supported by Manchester City Council and Foundation, including young people from Sabden Primary School and the START Living Retrofitting Alliance;
- attend a dinner of c.400 guests at a civic dinner at the restored Gorton Monastery; and
- see a Sustainable Fashion Show, showcasing designs from Manchester College and Manchester Metropolitan University students.
In Nottingham, The Prince will:
- have a cup of tea with a pensioner who has benefited from solar panels in her roof;
- meet members of a locally-created energy-savings company;
- visit community gardens in an area of transformed wasteland; and
- meet local faith groups in a disused church to discuss the future of the building.
In Birmingham, The Prince will:
- discuss how we can live more sustainably in the future with a group of college students with a video link to business participants at a Mayday Network event in London;
- tour an interactive exhibition which shows smarter working and living examples from local businesses and community organisations;
- take a group of children around a museum on a “START Trail”; and
- see the world’s first hybrid car, the Lanchester Petrol-Electric Mark 7 Prototype Car, built in 1926.
In London, The Prince and The Duchess will:
- meet exhibitors and visitors during a tour of “A Garden Party to Make a Difference”, held from 8th – 19th September in Clarence House, Lancaster House and Marlborough House Gardens; and, beforehand
The Prince will also:
- attend a session of the IBM Summit at START in Lancaster House.
START (www.start.org.uk) is a national initiative by The Prince's Charities Foundation to promote and celebrate sustainable living. HRH is touring the country, visiting community groups and examples of sustainable behaviour, as well as three national START festivals, to help show how we can all make positive changes to our lifestyles.
The Prince’s START initiative builds on the work of the charity Business in the Community, of which HRH has been President for 25 years. Over that time, BITC has been working with businesses to develop partnerships which create, promote and support sustainable communities.
START is a Public/Private/NGO partnership which has been created in response to research which shows that when it comes to dealing with issues like climate change and sustainability, people are looking for information and advice.
It is all about exploring what is possible: from the cheapest and simplest to the most complex and futuristic; from quick fixes to long-term solutions. So far, a number of leading businesses have signed up to the initiative including B&Q, Virgin Money, Waitrose, UK Water Companies, Marks and Spencer, Asda, EDF Energy, Addison Lee, IBM UK & Ireland and BT Group plc.
The week-long tour will culminate in ‘A Garden Party to Make A Difference’ in the gardens of Clarence House, Lancaster House and Marlborough House from the 8th to the 19th September 2010.