The Countess visits Hereford with four engagements.

The Countess was in UK from Qatar on the 8th October in the evening, and today already had four new engagements in Hereford. The Countess of Wessex visited Sophie House - it's a care home which provides a long term and respite care service for up to 14 young people and adults who are living with complex physical and intellectual disabilities. It is managed by Martha Trust, on a not-for-profit basis.

courtesy of Martha Trust. Click on pic to be redirected, read press release & view more images.

The Martha Trust in Hereford was established in 1996, as a registered charity, to provide lifelong and respite care for young people with profound intellectual and physical disabilities. Martha Trust has 2 care homes: Martha House and Sophie House. The first resident was welcomed to Martha House in January 1997, and at Sophie House on the 1st October 2012.

courtesy of Martha Trust. Click on pic to be redirected, read press release & view more images.

It all started in 1994, when the founding trustees, Sarah & Richard Smith, inspired by their youngest daughter Sophie who has profound disabilities, decided to embark on raising the necessary funds to build a home that would satisfy her future needs and at the same time could provide help for as many families as possible, faced with a similar difficult situation to their own. For full history, click this link.

courtesy of Martha Trust. Click on pic to be redirected, read press release & view more images.

Her Royal Highness visited their therapy unit, where she saw state-of-theart audio visual equipment in use. At the end of the visit she was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Sophie Sharp-Smith and planted of an ornamental tree to commemorate the visit. Sarah and Richard were charmed with the interaction between the Countess and their daughter Sophie.

photo by Jonathon Paul of Horizo Photography, courtesy of The Hereford Haven.

As President, HRH visited Breast Cancer Haven Guardians in Hereford, the council chairman’s chosen charity for 2015/16. Those who follow closely my blog know already about this charity, those who are not familiar can read more here. You can also type into search box "Haven" and you will find HRH's engagements on behalf of this organization.

photo by Jonathon Paul of Horizo Photography, courtesy of The Hereford Haven.

During visit HRH met Martin Davis, Frankie Devereux - Hereford Fundraising Manager and Pamela J Healey OBE, CEO of The Haven. She was given flowers by Swamp Runners of Mordiford Primary School, who made the donation to Haven with £627. More here.

photo by Jonathon Paul of Horizo Photography, courtesy of The Hereford Haven.

I would also like to mention Haven's latest campaign - #NeverByMySelfie. Fashion designer, Savannah Miller has designed two fabulous t-shirts to raise awareness and money for The Haven which are being sold online through ASOS throughout October. Going through breast cancer can be a challenging and isolating time, so the celebrity supporters have joined Haven's Visitors, therapists, bloggers and staff to support the campaign, including Kylie Minogue, who won her own battle with breast cancer. More info on campaign and how to buy T-shirts, here. I also want to encourage you to check your breasts on regular basis, I have shared my own scare with you, just few months ago, this can really save your life.

photo by Jonathon Paul of Horizo Photography, courtesy of The Hereford Haven. Click on pic to be rdirected & view full gallery of HRH's visit.

The Countess also visited Hereford Street Pastors, Emelia's Place. First, let's start with explaining who the Street Pastors are: they are trained volunteers from local churches who care about their community. It is an initiative of Ascension Trust and was pioneered in London in 2003.

Street Pastors engage with people on the streets to care for them, listen to them and help them. They work together with other partners in the night-time economy to make communities safer. Since 2003, they have trained over 12,000 street pastors, who play an active part in more than 270 towns and cities around the UK. Emelia's Place is a new unit to help people on a night-out recover from excess alcohol and help reduce the pressure on the ambulance service, A&E and police.

After the Worcester News article: 'Run by the city’s volunteer Street Pastors, Emilia's Place [should be Emelia's] will be an alternative to hospital or a police cell when all someone needs is to be able to sober-up safely. The centre is called 'Emelia’s' after Emelia Venn, sister of the Rev John Venn – both of whom devoted themselves to helping the city’s poor – and features an assessment area, recovery space and supervised sleep-off room. It is part of a wider project called ‘Lean on Me’ which involves Street Pastors patrolling the city to help anyone they find to be in difficulty'.

Finally, HRH visited Close House, which is a Youth Centre in Hereford, in the West Midlands, UK.  The centre helps young people aged 13-24 to become mature, be helpful and grow hungry for a full life. They do this by making Safe, Supportive and Inspiring Spaces, both at the centre and at other clubs and projects across the city.

via 'mediashypp' Twitter account

The vast majority of the young people using Close House are vulnerable, disadvantaged or socially excluded. The centre works with a large number of young people who experience homelessness, mental health issues, substance misuse, have minor criminal records, are not in education, training or employment or who have suffered abusive childhoods.

During visit HRH's viewed the Story of Mary and Joe film that was made by 'mediashypp' - film + media production. Part of SHYPP (Supported Housing for Young People Project) with Toni Cook - Freelance drama and theatre practitioner, director, creative arts consultant, raiser of funds. Article with pictures can be found here.

Outfit & jewellery:
Analena Dress Hibiya Orchid by Erdem.
Helmut Lang Gala Blazer.
LK Bennett Harley in black suede.
Boho Betty UK Smokey quartz earrings. 
Clutch by Sophie Habsburg Design called Moneypenny in black.  

The Countess visits Hereford with four engagements. 2015-10-13T13:54:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: sho fia