Royal visit as Camilla comes to Peterborough

Camilla Parker Bowles, the wife of Prince Charles, next in line to the throne, will join Peterborough schoolchildren, authors, poets and local businesses and organisations during her tour of the city.

Her Royal Highness, a patron of the National Literacy Trust, will join a mini literature festival at Peterborough Cathedral alongside over 300 children where she will hear storytelling and poetry sessions led by local author Guy Bass and poet Francesca Beard.

She will then present certificates to winners of a creative writing competition called Our Stories: Celebrating Peterborough’s Cultural Diversity, before visiting Boots Opticians which is a partner of the charity.

Finally, the Duchess will join partners, funders, volunteers and families at a reception hosted at the Town Hall to hear success stories involving Peterborough’s position as one of three National Literacy Trust Hubs.

Councillor John Holdich, leader of Peterborough City Council, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating all the fantastic work that has been undertaken through the National Literacy Trust Hub in Peterborough by so many partners and enthusiastic young people.

“It is wonderful that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall is able to join our celebration and see first-hand what is going on. The vibrant mix of cultures and languages in Peterborough is such a great asset for creativity and developing literacy which will be highlighted on the day.”

The city’s position as a hub has seen it support families and young people learning English as an additional language, launch the summer Pop-Up Literacy Shop - which helped more than 1,200 people with their literacy questions and concerns - distribute £10,000 worth of books and help provide Middleton Primary School in South Bretton with a £15,000 library.

Sally Atkinson, manager of the Peterborough hub, said: “It has been fantastic to see this city come together in support of the Peterborough hub, an initiative making a sustainable difference to the learning outcomes and employability of the city’s next generation.”