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News

HRH visits Lincolnshire

20th January 2009

The Prince of Wales visited Lincolnshire for a packed day of engagements in the county.

For his first engagement of the day, The Prince met young people at Hill Holt Wood social enterprise in Norton Disney.

Hill Holt Wood social enterprise, which has charitable status, educates and trains at-risk youths who have been excluded from school. The woodland site includes a woodworking area where the young people are taught traditional woodcraft skills.

The Prince walked through muddy woodland to meet those taking part, along with dignitaries including the wood's CEO Karen Lowthrop and her husband Nigel, the Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire Tony Worth, local council representatives and local MP Douglas Hogg.

Mrs Lowthrop said she and her husband bought Hill Holt Wood 13 years ago but in 2002 the community bought 22 acres of land and the social enterprise business.

She said: "This is validation for us. In the economic downturn I think it's important the third sector is not overlooked. People call them 'hard to reach', I say they are hardly reached.

"Through social deprivation a lot of them have not had a connection with anything before. What they have here is a connection. We plant trees, we feed and water them and they blossom and grow. We put that idea into the young people who come here."

Hayden Fletcher, 16, from Newark, enjoyed a laugh and a joke with The Prince as he walked round the wood. He said: "It's my first time meeting a member of the Royal Family.

“He's the future King of England and that's great for him but I just kept relaxed and it was just like meeting any normal person."

At a reception at Stamford Town Hall, The Prince of Wales congratulated two RAF airmen for keeping "the baddies at bay" during their time in Afghanistan.

The Prince was introduced to Flying Officer Andrew England and Sergeant Steven Churchyard, both from nearby RAF Wittering.

During a brief conversation he asked the men, who have both served in Afghanistan, about their experiences in the conflict.

Flying Officer England said: "He knew about Wittering, and he knew how many bases we have in this area.

"He asked about turnaround times and commented on how short they were.

"I told him about our role out in Kandahar. When we were out there we were responsible for the security of Kandahar, responsible for stopping any attacks on the base and any rocket attacks.

"He said well done for keeping 'the baddies at bay'. It made me feel quite good really."

Sgt Churchyard, who confessed he had been nervous about meeting The Prince, said: "He asked me about accommodation at Camp Bastion. I just said it was 'temporary' and he laughed.

"I told him us military men are used to making the best of what we've got and he agreed."

Other visits included a stop off at the village of Brant Broughton to view restoration work carried out at St Helen's Church by the Lincolnshire Churches Trust, of which he is Patron.

The Prince also visited the village's Quaker meeting house before moving on to the Thorold Arms in Marston, Lincs - a pub involved in his Pub Is The Hub scheme.

The rural pub now houses a village shop to provide residents with much-needed services as part of the scheme initiated by The Prince himself in 2001.

The Prince met with pub owner Alan Prince and Pub Is The Hub director John Longdon, lightening the mood with a joke about asparagus with a supplier.

Outside, The Prince chatted to crowds of screaming schoolchildren including Kesri Smith, six, and William Lumsdon, 10, who said he had been picked by teachers to speak to The Prince after he expressed his love of Duchy sausages.

Hundreds of people waving flags lined the streets of Stamford as The Prince arrived.

He popped into a local butcher's shop before visiting the town's Browne's Hospital and Almshouses and meeting resident Dorothy Addison.

He was given a special show by pupils at Stamford Endowed Schools, who sang "I Need You" from the Blues Brothers, with a personal welcome to The Prince.

The Prince finished his day meeting youngsters who have completed The Prince's Trust Team programme, which is a 12 week programme to help young people find work.

Gareth Jones, 21, said the scheme had given him confidence and self-esteem to find a job as an IT support assistant at Humberside Airport.

He said: "It was so informal, he seems really interested in young people.

"The scheme has helped me so much and it's great to meet the person behind it all."

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