Prince Harry’s Two-Day Visit to Leeds

During his two-day visit to Leeds this past Thursday and Friday, Prince Harry visited a number of charities in city connected to his patronages and personal interests.

He began at a mental health charity fair hosted by the Leeds Community Foundation where the Prince delivered a speech on the subject, which he and the Cambridges have been working on through their Heads Together campaign.

While speaking of the positive steps forward that have been take in recent time to improve mental health awareness, Prince Harry said that “there is much much more that we can do at every level to make conversations about mental health as common place as those about physical health. For example, we need to better equip our young people with the tools they need to cope with this increasingly complex and fast moving world we live in.”

Afterwards, as patron of the Rugby Football League, Harry attended the Sky Try Rugby League Festival at Headingley Carnegie Stadium, joining dozens of schoolchildren taking part in rugby workshops designed to promote the uptake of rugby football. When a group of the children tested their newfound skills on Ronnie the Rhino, mascot of the Leeds Rhinos rugby team, the Prince jokingly shouted that they “were supposed to give him a hug, not rugby tackle him!”

Day two of Harry’s visit was focused heavily on his charity WellChild; first with a visit to the home of five-year-old Oliver Rooney, who has a rare chromosome disorder. The Prince, after spending time with the youngster and his family, then assisted a group from the Helping Hands project to redesign the family’s garden to make it accessible for Oliver.

While the Rooney family had nothing but praise for Prince Harry after their visit, the sentiment was not one-sided: Harry described Oliver’s mother as “superwoman”.

It was then on to Leeds Children’s Hospital for a visit with children who have benefited from WellChild’s services, and specialist care nurse Helen Tooby that works in conjunction with the hospital and the charity.

The Prince’s Leeds visit ended on a fun note, with a visit to the new HARIBO factory in Castleford. Harry – having donned the necessary protective gear, a white labcoat and hat – was given a tour of the factory floor and met with some of the 730 staff employed at the factory, before receiving a special gift: a box of specially produced ‘Harry Mix’ lollies, gummies shaped into a likeness of the Prince’s head.

“Are you having a laugh?” Harry said with a smile on his face as he inspected the gift, before popping one in his mouth.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Children, Hospital, Mental Health, Patronage, Prince Harry of Wales, Rugby, Sport.

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