It is always exciting when a member of the Royal family is due to visit Newbury and the visit by HRH Princess Alexandra to the British Red Cross offices in Kingfisher Court on 21 November was no exception. We arrived at 10.40a.m. and met the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Philip Wroughton and the President of the Berkshire Red Cross, Mrs Jane Grievson. There were other Red Cross staff and volunteers from across the County and there was an air of expectancy, and possibly a few nerves. When she arrived, we were presented to her by the Lord Lieutenant. Princess Alexander was intrigued with my chain and pendant and commented on the pendant’s weight. She then was then taken into the building to be shown around the various parts of the building where several presentations of their work were made. Unfortunately, due to the lack of room in parts of the building, we were asked to remain downstairs until the unveiling of the plaque to commemorate the visit. Princess Alexander commended the Berkshire Red Cross on their achievements and congratulated them on their centenary and then she unveiled the plaque to great applause.
Although the visit lasted only an hour , everyone was delighted with her visit and her genuine interest in their work. After her departure, I was presented with a book on the British Red Cross in Berkshire and there were a number of interesting items in it. In 1905 the then Queen Alexandra appealed to all the women of the Empire to join the British Red Cross to aid and assist in the care of wounded service personnel in time of war. This led to a nationwide recruitment based at a County level. It was in 1907 that Mrs Edith Benyon of Englefield House became the first President of the Berkshire Red Cross and the family have been closely involved ever since. It is also noteworthy that Mrs Philip Wroughton was the President between 2002 and 2007.
The Berkshire Red Cross continue their excellent work in the District and in the flooding last year, their ambulance crews in their 4x4 vehicles gave support to the overstretched NHS ambulances and helped families in Tilehurst and Windsor. I have no doubt that whenever a crisis occurs in the County in the future, the Red Cross will be there to give help and we must be grateful for all those who give their time to this wonderful organisation.
Although the visit lasted only an hour , everyone was delighted with her visit and her genuine interest in their work. After her departure, I was presented with a book on the British Red Cross in Berkshire and there were a number of interesting items in it. In 1905 the then Queen Alexandra appealed to all the women of the Empire to join the British Red Cross to aid and assist in the care of wounded service personnel in time of war. This led to a nationwide recruitment based at a County level. It was in 1907 that Mrs Edith Benyon of Englefield House became the first President of the Berkshire Red Cross and the family have been closely involved ever since. It is also noteworthy that Mrs Philip Wroughton was the President between 2002 and 2007.
The Berkshire Red Cross continue their excellent work in the District and in the flooding last year, their ambulance crews in their 4x4 vehicles gave support to the overstretched NHS ambulances and helped families in Tilehurst and Windsor. I have no doubt that whenever a crisis occurs in the County in the future, the Red Cross will be there to give help and we must be grateful for all those who give their time to this wonderful organisation.
No comments:
Post a Comment