The Duchess of Cambridge becomes Patron of three new organisations

The Duchess of Cambridge has become Patron of three new organisations: Place2Be; SportsAid; and The Natural History Museum.

The patronages of Place2Be and SportsAid reflect Her Royal Highness’s personal interests in supporting children and young people to build their skills, confidence and aspirations.  Her Patronage of The Natural History Museum reflects The Duchess of Cambridge’s interest in the natural world.

The Duchess has chosen to support organisations that complement her existing charitable work.

Background on the organisations

Place2Be provides integrated school-based mental health and emotional support services, supporting over 67,000 children in 175 schools across some of the most deprived areas of the UK. Based in the heart of the community, Place2Be provides tailored support to meet the individual needs of children aged 4-14 years old, their parents, carers and teachers, helping them to cope with wide-ranging and often complex social issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma. From the moment that problems arise, Place2Be helps children to steer away from a downward spiral of low aspirations and bleak futures, instead helping them to grow to become resilient individuals, unlocking their potential both in and outside the classroom, so that they can look forward to prosperous futures. For further information, please visit www.place2be.org.uk.

SportsAid helps young disabled and non-disabled athletes to achieve their ambitions by giving them cash awards during the critical early years of their careers. These athletes are typically aged 12-18 years old and include some of Britain’s brightest hopes for future Olympic and Paralympic success. At this stage of an athletes career, sponsorship deals can be hard to find with most athletes relying entirely on their family for financial support. SportsAid Awards help them meet essential costs, such as travel, training, accommodation, competition fees and equipment.

At the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, almost two-thirds of the British team were former recipients of SportAid’s support, including Sir Chris Hoy, Dame Sarah Storey, Sir Bradley Wiggins, David Weir CBE, Rebecca Adlington OBE, Ellie Simmonds OBE, Jessica Ennis CBE, Tom Daley and Mo Farah CBE. For further information please visit www.sportsaid.org.uk.

The Natural History Museum is an award-winning tourist attraction and also a world-leading science research centre. Through its collections and scientific expertise, the Museum works to help understand and maintain the richness and diversity of our planet, with groundbreaking partnerships in more than 70 countries. For further information please visit www.nhm.ac.uk.