Princess Alexandra visits Brixton Market to see new children's charity initiative

The Princess, who is President of the Charity, first paid a visit to the Maytree Children's Centre to meet mums and children who are being helped by the project. She watched a cookery class before travelling with the group to Brixton Market to see the vouchers being spent.

In collaboration with Food Matters, the Alexandra Rose Charity provides vouchers to low-income families to help them buy and eat more fruit and vegetables, which would often be too expensive for them to afford. The charity also runs cookery classes to show families how to prepare and cook the produce.

The project is being run through seven local children's centres in Lambeth, and is supported by the borough's Food Flagship Initiative, the Mayor of London and the Department for Education.

Jonathan Pauling, ARC Chief Executive, explained how the scheme is also bringing communities together: "Living in any inner city can be lonely – especially for new mothers. By meeting at the children’s centres, learning new skills together, and visiting their local markets together, real friendships have been forged. Information is being shared over cups of tea as well as over fruit and veg, and the end result has been not just healthier diets but happier people and closer-knit communities.”

You can find out more about the Alexandra Rose Charity at www.alexandrarosecharities.org.uk.