The Prince and Princess of Wales will celebrate community spirit ahead of St David’s Day on a visit to Powys

The royal couple are coming to Llanidloes and Newtown to spend a few hours in the county which has the most volunteers per capita in the UK.

The Prince and Princess will first travel to The Hanging Gardens, a space dedicated to nurturing community resilience and creativity in Llanidloes and its surrounding area.

The Hanging Gardens provides a vibrant hub for sustainable living, artistic expression, and shared experiences through their café, performing arts centre, indoor market, community garden, kitchens and workshops.

Their Royal Highnesses will meet with volunteers that keep the centre running and participate in some of their unique workshops and activities, including preparations for St David’s Day.

From Llanidloes, they will then travel to Newtown and visit Oriel Davies, a public contemporary art gallery, to see a project funded by the Alexandra Reinhardt Memorial Award, focussed on supporting the wellbeing of the children and young people in the local area. 

Regular creative workshops led by artist Nicky Arscott encouraged social connections and built confidence, through connection to nature and a celebration of cultures and community cohesion.

Their Royal Highnesses will first visit an exhibition of the work produced by the children and young people, and then join a workshop in action.

Following this, they will join a local Welsh learners group, in the Gallery Café practicing their Welsh.

Their final Powys visit  will be to Hafan yr Afon, a hub for culture, community, and heritage located in Newtown.

It is run by Open Newtown, a community land trust and social enterprise, which also manages 100 acres of local parklands. 

The couple will attend a celebration of volunteer groups and community champions in Powys, which will be held at Hafan Yr Afon, supported by Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations and Open Newtown.

They will meet with a range of volunteers and community groups across the region, including youth, sustainability, arts and wellbeing.

The event will be curated by PAVO whose mission is 'Helping Organisations; Improving People's Lives', supporting the voluntary and community sector and volunteering across Powys.

This vibrant space at Hafan yr Afon has been developed to serve as a community centre promoting sustainability and local engagement. 

It includes facilities such as meeting rooms, event spaces, and a café, providing an inclusive environment for various community activities and functions. 

The centre aims to encourage local participation and foster connections within the community, making it an integral part of Newtown’s cultural landscape.