The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester visit Northern Ireland
Published
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester have been meeting local people and celebrating brilliant community services in Fermanagh and South Tyrone this week.
Their Royal Highnesses were greeted by First Minister Arlene Foster and the local Lord Lieutenant, Viscount Brookeborough, before their first stop at Portora Royal School, which is celebrating its four hundredth anniversary.
The Duke and Duchess chatted to students and paid a visit to the school's boathouse.
Keeping with the water theme, The Duke and Duchess then toured the headquarters of Waterways Ireland, which works hard to preserve over 1000km of rivers, canals and lakes across Ireland. The orgniastion encourages people to enjoy this beautiful natural environment through activities such as kayaking, sailing and cycling. The Duke and Duchess learnt about the organisation's work before heading out on the water themselves on Lough Erne.
The Duke of Gloucester later paid a visit to Ballinamallard United Football Club to present their Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. This Award recognises the hard work and dedication of all the volunteers who have helped the club grow into County Fermanagh's only Irish League Premiership team, as well as run clubs and provide opportunities for boys and girls from the age of five.
Meanwhile, The Duchess of Gloucester opened a new sensory garden and recreational area for adults with learning and physical disabilities at Killadeas Day Centre in Enniskillen. The Duchess met some of the visitors to the Centre, and saw how they enjoy their new wheelchair-friendly garden and swings.
On the second day of their visit, The Duke and Duchess toured Clogher Valley Show, meeting local farmers and tradespeople, and viewing the show animals.
To finish off their trip, The Duke and Duchess visited Enniskellen Airport, to watch a rapid-response exercise, involving local Fire and Ambulance Services, the Police and the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat. They congratulated the rescue teams and met the RAF Cadets who acted as passengers during the exercise.