The Prince and Princess of Wales visit Hereford
Published
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Hereford where they attended the Madley Primary School’s Forest School and met local mental health charity, We Are Farming Minds, both organisations that are partners of The Duchy of Cornwall.
Their Royal Highnesses first visited the Forest School, where outdoor learning is prioritised within the day-to-day curriculum to enhance children’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Each child attends the Forest School at least once a week where they learn national curriculum subjects outdoors, in a woodland environment, as well as learning about environmental awareness, conservation and woodland management.
The Duchy of Cornwall and Madley Primary School have been partners in the Forest School initiative for the last 12 years, as the Duchy supplied Madley Primary School with a woodland site at Brampton Hill Wood in order to enable the Forest School to take place in Hereford.
Over the subsequent years, due the school’s expansion, the woodland area that the Duchy provides has increased, along with the facilities available.
The Prince and Princess then visited Kings Pitt Farm, where they met with Duchy of Cornwall farming tenants, Sam and Emily Stables.
Following struggles with their own mental wellbeing, and seeing the stigma around mental health in the farming industry, Sam and Emily founded We Are Farming Minds, a charity working to support the mental health of farmers in rural communities throughout the county.
It offers Herefordshire farmers fully funded access to a range of services including counselling, a 24-hour phone and text support line, free mental health awareness workshops and social events throughout the year to help tackle feelings of isolation.
The Duchy of Cornwall is working closely with We are Farming Minds to enhance its new Mental Health Strategy which provides ongoing mental health support to all its tenants, with a specific focus on tenants in rural and more isolated communities.