Royal Visit on Valentines Day

Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal has officially opened Plas Hyfryd, a state-of-the-art housing development for older people in Caerphilly.

On Valentine’s day The Princess Royal arrived at Plas Hyfryd and was greeted by schoolchildren from Cwrt Rawlin Primary school who presented her with a Welsh Love spoon and flowers.

The Princess Royal was given a tour of Plas Hyfryd, to meet residents and learn more about the work that United Welsh has done over the past few months. This included a range of projects in partnership with St Cenydd Comprehensive School such as a Computer Training Programme to help residents get online, planting projects to develop the gardens around the development, and painting projects for budding artists.

Residents from within the scheme were also given the opportunity to meet The Princess Royal as she visited their coffee lounge and stepped into their apartments to view the new homes. One privileged couple were Mr and Mrs Leeman who have been residents at Plas Hyfryd since November. Mrs Leeman went on to say; “Absolutely Wonderful day, loveliest lady I have met in a long time!”

Ceri Jackson, Head of Art at St Cenydd Comprehensive School, and pupils who provide art work displayed throughout Plas Hyfryd presented The Princess Royal with a painting based on the theme of Valentines Day and the recent engagement of Zara Phillips. Emily Knight, Year 10 pupil from St Cennydd Comprehensive School had had a wonderful experience;

“It was really nice to meet Princess Anne, she seemed really down to earth and friendly. It’s also nice to visit Plas Hyfryd and the residents, and put a smile on their faces as I felt we made their day!”

‘Housing with Care’ often known as Extra Care is a new form of housing designed specifically for people over 55 years of age. Promoting and encouraging independence is central to the concept of Plas Hyfryd, supporting people to do things for themselves and reducing the ‘care’ dependency on the individual.

Peter Laing, Chair of United Welsh said;

‘We are delighted to be officialy opening this new scheme, and thilled that Her Royal Highness has taken time out from her busy schedule to visit residents. The Housing with Care scheme at Caerphilly is the first scheme of its type completed by United Welsh. We have worked in close partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council, the Welsh Assembly Government, and a number of Social Enterprises. This is a significant development and I must congratulate all those people who have contributed to it’s design.”

 
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Councillor Lindsay Whittle, Leader of Caerphilly Council said;

“I was delighted to attend The Royal Visit at Plas Hyfryd which is situated within my ward. It was super to meet so many happy residents and facilities were of such high standards, it can only be described as the jewel in the crown. I want to thank all at United Welsh and everyone involved for such a superb facility.”

The official royal opening has paid tribute to all those involved in the project.

February 2011

(Above) - HRH The Princess Royal is introduced to representatives of the partner organisations involved in the project