We are delighted to announce that Her Majesty The Queen will remain as Patron of Helen & Douglas House children’s hospice. This is wonderful news to mark the 1st anniversary of their Majesties’ coronation.
In her former role of The Duchess of Cornwall, The Queen became Patron to Helen & Douglas House in 2007. Every year over the last 17 years, The Queen has invited families and staff from the charity to visit Clarence House to decorate her Christmas tree. This is a magical event which creates such precious memories for the families visiting. The children can choose which decoration they would like to go on the tree and either they place it on the tree themselves or ask Her Majesty’s Equerry to place it on with his sword. The children get to try on the Equerry’s bearskin which brings great joy and they have a lovely lunch of sausage and mash served by The Queen. Afterwards they meet Santa and go outside to meet his reindeer accompanied by wonderful Christmas carols played by the Welsh Guards Brass Band.
The Queen has also visited the hospice many times over the years and her last visit was to our new hospice garden for the children to play, meeting both bereaved families and those who still visit for supportive stays.
Jane Long, Chief Executive of Helen & Douglas House said:
“We are so delighted The Queen will continue to be our Patron and I am sure our families, staff and volunteers will also be thrilled to hear this news too.
“The Queen is very approachable and friendly when we meet her and Her Majesty has a genuine interest in what we do and the families we support as well as our staff and volunteers and the vital role they play. She shows great compassion for the work we do and to our families going through such difficult times.
“Her Majesty puts people at ease straight away and has a particular affinity with the children. She always makes them smile and they love to talk to her. When we meet her, she wants to understand more about the challenges our families are facing and how we help them. Our visits to Clarence House and her visits to the hospice mean the world to us all and create such wonderful memories for our families, in particular, to treasure forever.
“These visits also create a lot of media coverage which helps us raise awareness of the charity and provide vital support to local families with terminally ill children.”