Prince and Princess of Wales Visit Scarborough's Rainbow Centre

Thursday, 3 November 2022 14:39

By Matthew Pells

The Prince and Princess of Wales have met staff and service users at the Rainbow Centre in Scarborough.

Following on from the royal couple's earlier visit to The Street, their Royal Highnesses visited The Rainbow Centre, an organisation that offers an open door to the community of Scarborough and help and support to anyone in need.

The Prince and Princess heard from volunteers and staff at the centre around how they create wraparound support for service users which helps to build strong communities that support people practically as well as emotionally.

During the visit Their Royal Highnesses hoped to learn about the work The Rainbow Centre have been doing to help people to cope with the rising cost of living through services such as food and clothes banks as well as offering a place to shower and do laundry.

The Prince and Princess also met with service users to hear first-hand how the centre has impacted their lives.

VIDEO: The Prince & Princess Of Wales have just visited The Rainbow Centre in Scarborough to meet staff & volunteers to see how the community is being helped & to find out how the area is being supported during the cost of living crisis through food, clothing, a place to shower and even a place to do laundry. This concludes Their Royal Highnesses visit to Scarborough
Posted by This Is The Coast - Local Radio For The Yorkshire Coast on Thursday, November 3, 2022

Security around the visit was tight with no pre publicity for the visit to the Rainbow Centre.

After the visit Paddy spoke to Ali Harvey and to Trish Kinsella who recently retired from the Rainbow Centre.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are focusing on the cost of living crisis as they look to revamp royal visits to create a "lasting impact and legacy".

Sky News has been told the rising economic pressure faced by many people has become a key focus for William, Kate, and the team at their Royal Foundation, with a source saying: "The cost of living crisis is a lens through which they're now looking at their work."

Today's Scarborough visit is seen by the Royal Foundation as a pilot of a "Community Impact Day", showing how it can use its profile to help organisations in deprived areas secure long-term funding.

The move has been prompted by the royal couple's desire to have more of a long-term impact on the places they visit, with an intention to follow the progress made in helping some of the most vulnerable in society.

While it is understood William and Kate are mindful of their own privileged position, Sky News was told that "they are not shying away from the issue" of the rising cost of living and are keen to "support the hard-pressed" in "parts of the country that need a light shone on them".