The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visit Wolverhampton

The Big Venture Community Centre

The day started at the community run Big Venture Centre, which was awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021. The centre is both managed and run by volunteers from the local community right from the board of directors through to the day-to-day management and roles on the ground.

Their Royal Highnesses were greeted by local primary school children and Ms Karen Trainer, Director of The Big Venture Centre together with Lord-Lieutenant Sir John Crabtree OBE, the Mayor of Wolverhampton Cllr Sandra Samuels OBE, and High Sheriff of West Midlands Mr Wade Lyn CBE.

Karen was honoured with an MBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2022. Unable to go to London to collect her award, the community came together to arrange a surprise presentation, with The Duke and Duchess joining the celebrations.

During the visit, Their Royal Highnesses also met volunteers and clients of the centre and will join in the WV10 Budget Cooking Programme, Beyond the Foodbank, a six-week programme where chefs teach clients how to cook good nutritionally sound food that they then take home and share with their families.

Beatsabar Music Studios, Newhampton Arts Centre

Next, Their Royal Highnesses visited Beatsabar which offers enrichment activities to young people in complicated situations and hosts a variety of music-based workshops for all age groups and abilities.

Over the last 9yrs, Beatsabar has been working weekly with PRUs, schools, youth intervention groups and probation services helping talented men and women in writing and recording new music. Beatsabar have a history of project work, funding partners and work with young people at grassroots level who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are at risk of gangs and antisocial behaviour.

The Duke and Duchess met young people from Braybrook and Midpoint PRUs who are working on music and songs about their real-life situations, and also music that is being written for the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort.

Royal School Wolverhampton

It was time to get into the Coronation spirit at The Royal School, Wolverhampton, which started life as an orphanage in 1850.  In 1891 Queen Victoria agreed to become patron and there has been a history of Royal Patronage since that time and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh has been patron since 2002.

Their Royal Highnesses met students and staff and hear a performance by the Primary School Choir. 

The Duke then visited classrooms to hear about the Loving Classroom project being pioneered by Sir Anthony Seldon before moving on to meet the combined cadet forces, police and nursing cadets. 

At the Primary School, The Duchess met early years and primary school children who are creating bunting and art projects about the Coronation. 

City of Wolverhampton College

At City of Wolverhampton College, Their Royal Highnesses attended a Coronation Big Lunch.

After viewing students’ work and meeting with them The Duke and Duchess joined the Big Lunch, with guests drawn from the community including organisations such as Lowhill Community Centre, Manor Primary School, Compton Care, Staffordshire Regimental Association, The Haven and many more.