Duchess of Cornwall visits WESC Foundation
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall was in Exeter yesterday (Tuesday 16 July) visiting the children, young people and team at WESC Foundation, an Exeter-based charity offering learning, care and therapy to more than 100 children and young people with sight loss and complex needs.
The Duchess, who is also a patron for the charity, last visited the organisation in 2008.
She was formally welcomed by Tracy de Bernhardt Dunkin, Principal and CEO at WESC Foundation, and then met staff and students to learn more about Neuro Visual Technology (NVT) and the advancements being made in this area at WESC.
Richard Ellis, Head of Visual Impairment Specialist Services, welcomed the Duchess to the The Hub, where he and his team and young people at the WESC Foundation demonstrated some of the assessment equipment being used on campus to assess and aid children’s visual impairment.
Richard said: “She seemed genuinely interested in the equipment and sat with both Harryot and Katie to learn more about the equipment they were using and how it helps them and other students here at WESC.
"We also spoke about the new developments and research taking place on campus concerning NVT thanks to our partnership with Lincoln University and the Knowledge Transfer Partnership and it was great to see her engaging so naturally with the children and staff.”
Whilst in The Hub, the Duchess also met Jenny Langley and Stuart Young, ex-learners and now employees at WESC Foundation. Jenny and Stuart teach access technology to the young people at WESC and the Duchess even dedicated time to petting their guide dogs Janey and Archie.
She was then escorted through the grounds to WESC Foundation’s second transition house – Cornwall House – which WESC named after the Duchess and she formally opened during her visit.
The Duchess also met with young learners enjoying education and play in the garden before meeting Tom West and Maria Dowswell, two college learners who will be moving into Cornwall House in September along with three other housemates.
Tom and Maria spoke about their future plans and how being able to live in the house will hopefully give them the skills they need to one day live independently. They also gave The Duchess a short tour of the new purpose built premises, which has specialist equipment including a talking microwave and weighing scales.
Tom said: “I have met Her Royal Highness before when she visited in 2008 and it was good fun to talk to her again. I enjoyed talking to her about my plans to live independently in Exeter and how Cornwall House will be a good stepping stone towards this. I told her about my radio show on our own station and we joked about her swapping The Archers and tuning in to my two hour broadcast!”
The day concluded with a meet and greet with some of WESC Foundation learners, staff, parents, volunteers and supporters before The Duchess listened to a performance by a 30-strong student and staff choir.
She then unveiled the ceremonial plaque to officially open Cornwall House before conducting an impromptu meet and greet with other guests before leaving for her next engagement.
