Princess Royal recognises selfless volunteers on visit to county

The Princess Royal visited the county today – stopping off at Much Wenlock's Cavalier Centre, where she learned about what the venue does to support horse riding opportunities for the disabled.

The visit also included a chance to present eight Shropshire voluntary groups with the 'Kings Award for Voluntary Service' – and talk to them about their work.

The recipients have all been recognised for their selfless dedication to improving their communities, and the lives of others.

They included Ludlow cancer Support Group, Church and Chetwynd Aston Village Hall, Clun Valley Good Neighbours, Shropshire Child Contact Centres, South Shropshire Engineering Ambassadors, Telford Crisis Support, Telford & Wrekin Home-Start, and the Cavalier Centre itself.

Howard Goslyn, one of the founder members of Ludlow Cancer Support Group, which was set up ten years ago, said it had been an honour for the members to receive the award directly from the Princess Royal.

He said: "It was wonderful for our group because we actually didn't set it up with any idea of going for any awards whatsoever, we set it up to look after and look out for cancer sufferers and their carers – and to help husbands and wives who are left behind."

The group meets twice a month at The Parish Centre in Ludlow, and Mr Goslyn, 82, said the members had been hugely proud at their royal recognition.

He said that neither he or his late wife had experienced cancer when they were part of setting the group up – but that she had died from the disease in 2021, and he had then suffered with prostate cancer in 2022 before getting the all clear after treatment.

He said: "The idea is not to grow the group – it would be lovely to shrink so fewer and fewer people are getting cancer but at least we do provide a service and an outlet for people."

He added: "People with cancer do not necessarily have a good time and this group is where they can come and have a good time."

Around 20 members of Church and Chetwynd Aston Village Hall Group were present to receive their honour from the Princess Royal, and the group's chair, Dr Malcolm Bennett said it had been an honour to meet her.

He said: "We were very proud to have it presented in person and the Princess Royal is a very nice person, very easy to talk to, and we had some interesting discussions with her."

Dr Bennett told the Princess of the refurbishment work that had seen the hall return to being a community hub in the wake of the pandemic – including adding solar panels to the roof.

Dr Bennett said the Princess Royal had joked as to whether it was wise to add panels to the roof, before being assured the work had been approved by a structural engineer.

He added: "She was very nice and it was a real privilege to meet her."

Dr Bennett said the group had also handed over get well cards for both the King, and the Princess of Wales.

He added that the volunteers had put in huge efforts to ensure the hall had grown as a community venue.

He said: "The committee has worked extremely hard to refurbish the hall and put it into a shape where all sorts of groups can use it."

He added: "Most importantly we want get people to come out as a community. We charge as little as possible to encourage people to come out of their houses – particularly after Covid – and we take great pride that we have managed to do that."

Princess Anne's tour of the venue saw her meet with the Riding for the Disabled Association and Cavalier Centre Chief Executive, the Chair, trustees, patrons, sponsors and civic dignitaries.

The visit was fitting due to the Princess Royal's position as a patron of the Riding for the Disabled Association.

The Princess was guided on a tour the centre which took in the new learning barn, the sensory garden, before learning about two support programmes offered at the venue.

The first, the STEPS programme, initially offered help to those without jobs, but has now been expanded as a "transformative" early intervention scheme.

The second is the Stable Relationships Programme described as an "intensive one to one emotional intelligence course aimed at young people who are struggling with one or more areas of their life.

The Princess' Shropshire engagement was continuing with a visit to Ellesmere, to mark the efforts of the founders of the Save The Children charity.