The King and Queen visit Cornwall

In the 30th anniversary year of Tate St Ives, The King and Queen visited the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, which is cared for by Tate.

The museum and garden offers a remarkable insight into the life and work of one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century. It is located in Trewyn studios, where Dame Barbara Hepworth lived from 1949 until her death in 1975, and was placed in Tate’s care in 1980.

A peaceful oasis in the heart of St Ives, the museum showcases Hepworth’s sculptures in wood, stone, plaster and bronze, many of which are displayed within the garden she carefully curated.

After a tour of the museum and garden, Their Majesties met young people from the Tate Collective programme, who work with Tate St Ives to organise events and workshops in the Hepworth Museum. They also met key figures from the local artistic community of St Ives, a town which is known for hosting and nurturing artists, from Hepworth in the 1950s to a new generation of creative talent today.

The King and Queen later visited St Ives Harbour, where they got a chance to say hello to a number of Coronation Champions who were recognised earlier in the year for their outstanding voluntary contribution.

The Coronation Champions Awards, run by the Royal Voluntary Service and supported by Her Majesty The Queen Consort, celebrated and recognised inspiring volunteers who had made an exceptional difference in their communities. 

Following this, The Queen travelled to the Oasis Centre, a place that provides support to isolated and vulnerable people in a rural area of Cornwall.

The Oasis Centre provide services for people with mild to moderate mental health issues; people and families supporting someone with dementia; young parents and toddlers; people who are unemployed and those who are bereaved.

Established in 2008, the centre currently runs a Wellbeing Cafe and Family Hub in both St Columb Major and St Eval. These are run by volunteers, and have around 130 visitors each week. The Wellbeing Cafe provides a weekly drop-in session for everyone to chat, have a hot drink and a meal, take part in arts and crafts, play table games, sing, exercise and help in the community garden.

Finally, The Queen visited The Women’s Centre Cornwall near Bodmin, which provides specialist support to women and girls living with the impact of sexual and domestic abuse. Her Majesty will heard from staff members who provide support and learnt about the centre’s work with women in prison before meeting some of the survivors who use the services - some of whom now work in the centre.

At the heart of The Women’s Centre Cornwall is a ‘women supporting women’ approach. The charity recognises that women and girls are the experts in their own lives and experiences and stands alongside them in a safe space as they restore their personal power.

The Women’s Centre Cornwall works hard to ensure all women and girls across Cornwall can access the quality support they need – at no cost to them. It leads the way nationally for its work in reaching those who face extra barriers in accessing support and is widely recognised as a centre of excellence.