News
Royal Visit at Aberdeen Service
Friday 21 January 2011
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay visits CHILDREN 1ST service in Aberdeen.
Staff at the CHILDREN 1ST service in Aberdeen welcomed Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Rothesay on Thursday 20 January. During her visit, The Duchess was taken on a tour of the centre which provides support, through the Corrieneuchin Project for children, young people and their families who have experienced abuse and trauma in their lives. Her Royal Highness was introduced to some of the families who use the service and the staff who support them.
Anne Houston, Chief Executive of CHILDREN 1ST, said:
"We were delighted to welcome HRH The Duchess of Rothesay to one of our services. It was a fantastic opportunity to show The Duchess the work we do with children and their families and she was able to hear, first hand from the young people, the difference that support makes. We all felt extremely honoured that she took the time to visit us to learn more about what we do and why we do it."
The Duchess initially met with representatives from the charity before being shown the various rooms within the centre such as playrooms, where children who have experienced abuse or trauma in their young lives are helped to express their feelings and rebuild their confidence through play and art therapy. HRH was then taken to another part of the centre where Family Group Conferencing sessions are held. These allow families who are experiencing difficulties to come together, working with the support of staff and volunteers, to agree on how they can best care for their children within the family. The Duchess then signed the visitor book at the centre before leaving for her next engagement.
Young person aged 14: "The Duchess came into the room while I was playing Uno with my Project Worker and she introduced herself. I told her that I had been coming to CHILDREN 1ST for a few years now and that it helped me a lot. She asked me about school and what I was interested in and I said that I really wanted to be a chef. She was very nice and I'm glad I got the chance to meet her."
Young person aged 10: "The Duchess came in and said "hello" and I gave her a bunch of flowers, which she really liked. We talked about what it is like at the CHILDREN 1ST service and how they help me. I showed her a box with all my drawings inside it and she said they were very good. I told her that I had been up since 5am because I was so excited to meet her."
Last updated: Thursday 3 February 2011
