Domestic Abuse Reception
and Care Bag Project

It was following The Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to Safe Lives, a charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, in January 2016 that Her Royal Highness realised she wanted to help in some way. In July 2016, The Duchess hosted a reception at Clarence House which provided a platform for key stakeholders, government figures, practitioners and survivors to get together to find ways of improving the lives of survivors and ways of ending domestic abuse.

“Client feedback about the wash bags has been extremely positive. Many are surprised to even be offered them – reactions include ‘Wow, is this really for me?’ and ‘Can I keep all of this?’ For some clients, they might not have a regular place to sleep or live – so offering them the care bag can mean a great deal.”

Jo Delaforce, Matron, The Havens

In September 2016, Her Royal Highness continued with this work by visiting Refuge, the largest specialist provider in the country of life-saving services for women and children experiencing domestic violence and other forms of gender violence. The Duchess met more survivors and volunteers and listened to their stories. Then, in February, The Duchess visited Women’s Aid, a grassroots federation that provides lifesaving services and, with Refuge, manages the national domestic violence 24-hour helpline.

This year, Her Royal Highness marked another important milestone in this area. The Care Bag project which had begun as a pilot scheme in 2011 was finally rolled out nationally. The scheme provides a wash bag of toiletries for victims of rape and sexual abuse to use following their physical examinations which can often be very difficult experiences. The pilot scheme began at the three London Havens, which are SARCs (Sexual Assault Referral Centres), and following its success the pharmaceutical company Boots, based in Nottingham, agreed to donate up to 13,000 care bags annually and to distribute them to all 49 SARCs throughout the United Kingdom.

Roald Dahl 100

As Patron of Roald Dahl 100, a nationwide year of celebration to mark the centenary of the birth of one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors, The Duchess met children taking part in a poetry workshop at the Norwegian Church and enjoyed Dahl-inspired performances at the Millennium Centre, Cardiff, in July. Her Royal Highness also designed a Dream Jar in St James’s Park as part of the BFG Dream Jar Trail public art installation, based on her hope that every child should learn to read and discover a life-long pleasure of books. The Dream Jar was subsequently auctioned to raise funds for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity.

International Women’s Day

The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace on International Women’s Day in March 2017, to celebrate the Women of the World Festival. The Duchess is President of Southbank Centre’s Women of the World Festival, which has grown to become a global network of festivals championing gender equality, celebrating the achievements of women and girls, and examining the obstacles which stop them from fulfilling their potential. Now in its seventh year, WOW reaches almost two million people across five continents. Leading women from national life attended the event including actress, Gillian Anderson; author, Kathy Lette and entrepreneur, Karren Brady.