THE PRINCE OF WALES UNDERTAKES ENGAGEMENTS IN WALES, FRIDAY 12TH & MONDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2014 Friday 12th December Engagement 1: The Prince of Wales will officially open the newly restored Newbridge Memorial Hall and will meet local community groups which use the building, before watching a performance in the Main Auditorium, High Street, Newbridge, Caerphilly County Borough NP11 4FH. Background: Newbridge Memorial Hall The Newbridge Memorial Hall, known as The Memo, is a fine Grade II listed 1908 workingmen’s institute and adjoining Grade II* listed 1925 memorial hall in the former mining community of Newbridge in the Gwent Valleys. In 2004 the building featured in the BBC television programme Restoration, which it only narrowly failed to win. Ten years later the renovation work has now been completed, thanks to the efforts of the very committed group of local fundraisers, and the Memo has been brought back into use, with its spectacular original decorations restored and its major rooms retaining their original uses of ballroom below and auditorium above. The restoration work has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Big Lottery, CADW, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Trustees of the Institute and Memo and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, amongst others. Engagement 2: The Prince of Wales, Colonel in Chief, 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards (QDG), will inspect the troops and watch a march past as the QDG exercise the Freedom of Swansea; as well as meeting servicemen and women and their families at a reception, The Guildhall, Swansea SA1 4PE. His Royal Highness will arrive and proceed onto the parade ground, before taking the Royal Salute and inspecting the troops. 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards will then march through Swansea, exercising the Freedom of the City. In the meantime, His Royal Highness will tour the Guildhall, meeting apprentices who have worked on the buildings refurbishment. As the parade returns to the Brangwyn Hall, His Royal Highness will salute the returning troops, before meeting soldiers and their families at a reception in the hall. Background: 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (QDG) 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (QDG) are a Light Cavalry Regiment based in Sennelager, Germany. The unit recruits soldiers predominantly from Wales (65%). While traditionally a Cavalry Regiment the unit has seen a series of evolutions, initially from horses to tanks and more recently from heavy tanks (Challenger 1) to Formation Reconnaissance (Scimitar Armoured Fighting Vehicles) to Light Cavalry (Jackals). The Regiment has always maintained high levels of flexibility and deployed in a huge range of different additional roles. The QDG has recently returned from Operation HERRICK 20 and made up the final large contingent of Welsh troops to be deployed in a combat role in Afghanistan. During the tour the Regiment was fortunate to see three squadrons deploy in three very different, distinct roles, each of which was crucial to the drawdown and handover to Afghan National Army troops. Other recent deployments include: o Kuwait: 1991 o Bosnia: 1996-2001 o Kosovo: 1999-2000 o Iraq: 2003-2006 (Op TELIC 1, 5 and 8) o Afghanistan: 2008-14 (Op HERRICK 9 and15) Next year the QDG will be preparing to rebase to Swanton Morley in Norfolk. While the Regiment has enjoyed the years spent in Germany most are looking forward to living and working back in the UK. At the same time the QDG will be completing its role conversion from Formation Reconnaissance to Light Cavalry. Light Cavalry Regiments are required to provide a highly mobile ground mounted reconnaissance capability which can operate over large distances and across a wide range of different physical environments. As a light cavalry regiment the QDG will operate from Jackal armoured vehicles, among others, and maintain high levels of dismounted, mounted and reconnaissance skills Monday 15th December Engagement 1: The Prince of Wales will officially open Llandovery College Nursery School, meeting children and their families in the nursery, before touring the school and attending a reception with staff, pupils and supporters of the college, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire. Background: Llandovery College Llandovery College in the Welsh market town of Llandovery seeks to provide for its pupils a truly transforming experience in which intellectual, artistic, sporting, spiritual and social development is at the heart. The College now comprises a Senior School, a Prep School and a Nursery School. Nursery School Llandovery Colleges new bilingual Nursery School opened in September this year. It cares for babies and children from 0 to 4 and aims to deliver early learning to kick start each childs educational journey, and to provide opportunities for each child to discover and develop their own unique talents and abilities.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 11:31:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015