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Sarah, the Duchess of York, brought smiles and laughter on what proved to be an ‘egg-cellent’ visit to Huddersfield this week.
The Duchess visited Waves Day Centre and Ruddi’s Retreat in Slaithwaite, The Kirkwood in Dalton and Conscious Youth in Deighton, as she clocked up the smiles around town.
There were delighted faces everywhere as the Duchess showed a personal and genuine interest in everyone she met.
There was a great big hug for Ruddi Waterworth-Jones, the inspiration behind Ruddi’s Retreat, and youngsters from Nields School in Slaithwaite made their own flowers, hats, banners and flags to welcome the Royal visitor.
The Duchess enjoyed a visit to the garden at the Waves centre and met the chickens who lay a daily supply of free range eggs.
READ MORE: Royal award for Ruddi’s Retreat
Ben Wright, managing director of Waves, a centre for people with learning difficulties, said: “The Duchess was wonderful and really interested in everyone.
“We showed her round the garden and she heard about the 20 chickens we have, some which we have hatched ourselves.
“We gave the Duchess some eggs and she said she loved a freshly-laid boiled egg for her breakfast.”
The following morning the Duchess shared a picture of the runny Slawit boiled egg she had to start the day!
The Duchess shared the image with Prof Bob Cryan, vice-chancellor at the University of Huddersfield, a close friend who accompanied her on the visit.
The Duchess is taking over as patron at Ruddi’s from Prof Cryan. Ruddi’s has four caravans at Primrose Valley and offers holidays to families with sick children.
The charity is named after the son of the charity’s founder Ali Waterworth. Ruddi was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer aged just six months old.
Ali revealed that the Duchess had remained in touch with the charity and its work since her last visit three years ago.
At The Kirkwood, the Duchess met some of the charity’s 800 volunteers and many of the staff.
The Kirkwood was awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in June and the Duchess was keen to thank them for their dedication.
READ MORE: How volunteers are so important to The Kirkwood
It was also revealed that during the pandemic the Duchess sent care packages to the hospice, which included cupcakes and toiletries.
At the Chestnut Centre in Deighton, the Duchess met Serena Johnson and Sophie Simpson, co-founders of Conscious Youth CIC, who help young people in the community with emotional and mental resilience.
The Duchess visited the weekly ‘Conscious Girls’ session, a grassroots youth-led initiative focused on the wellbeing of young women aged 12-16 years old.
During her visit, the Duchess spoke to the group about important issues, including mental health, self-confidence, female empowerment and her own self-esteem issues.
READ MORE: How Conscious Youth wants to inspire more young black role models
