The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales

Today, The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has announced the expansion of the trial of a tool, known internationally as the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), used by health visitors to promote infant wellbeing. The Princess of Wales first saw the tool in action in Denmark in 2022 and The Centre for Early Childhood then worked with the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) and Oxford University to test it in the UK. The expansion of the trial means that thousands more families will benefit from health visitors specially trained in this area, laying the strongest possible foundations for infant wellbeing in the earliest weeks, months and years of their lives. https://lnkd.in/ePaPn3GR

Many congratulations to Amanda Berry, CEO of The Royal Foundation, who has been awarded a CBE in His Majesty The King’s New Year Honours List for services to the Creative Industries (for her former role as BAFTA CEO) and to Charity.

Tune to ITV1 and ITVX at 7:30pm this evening to join Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales for her fourth 'Together at Christmas' Carol Service 📺🎄   Celebrating the importance of love and empathy, this year's service takes a moment to reflect how much we need one another - particularly at the most difficult times in our lives. Supported by The Royal Foundation, the service invited over 1,600 people in recognition of the love, kindness and empathy they have shown towards others in their communities.   For those that miss this evening’s broadcast, you can catch it again on Christmas morning at 6am. Globally, ‘Royal Carols: Together at Christmas’ will be available to watch on ABC in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand and BritBox in the US and Canada.

From Aberdeen to Truro, Rochester to Blackpool, 15 towns and cities across the UK hosted their own Community Carol Services over the past few weeks to shine a light on those who have shown love, kindness and empathy to others this year.    These services were hosted in the run-up to Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales’ fourth ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey which will be broadcast on Christmas Eve at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, and repeated on Christmas morning.    Supported by The Royal Foundation, the services were hosted in some incredible venues - from cathedrals and hospitals to circuses and churches.    A heartfelt thank you to everyone who hosted or attended these services and made them so special. A particular thank you goes to our amazing partners, Co-op which provided hot and cold drinks and festive treats - and Hobbycraft, which kindly gifted craft sets to all children attending the Services, as well as Christmas decorations. Sincere thanks, also, to Lord-Lieutenants across the UK for their support.

We were honoured to support The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales with their fourth year of Together at Christmas carol services. This year the service focused on shining a light on individuals from all over the UK who have shown kindness and empathy towards others. We proudly support The Royal Foundation team with hundreds of ribbons, bows, berry picks, and poinsettias, to decorate Westminster Abbey. One of our talented Artisan colleagues created over 1,000 handmade red tags for their ‘Tree of Kindness’ at Westminster Abbey, which was adorned with heartfelt messages and names of people who have shown kindness over the year. Our stores around the country donated decorations to help transform 15 community carol services, and we donated hundreds of our Giant Boxes of Craft to communities attending the events. You can watch Westminster Abbey Together at Christmas service at 7.30pm on ITV1 on Christmas Eve. 📸 @princeandprincessofwales on Instagram #Hobbycraft #RoyalFoundation #CarolService #Community

Poet, Chris Lynam aka Words from the Shed, has shared ‘Flags’, a new piece written for Homewards to mark the festive season.   Chris – who recites the poem here - has his own lived experience of homelessness and now works for The Archer Project, a member of our Sheffield Coalition. In ‘Flags’, Chris’ words resonate so strongly at this time of year and reflect the hope and optimism we feel looking ahead to a new year. Thanks to all of Homewards’ Coalitions and Partners for their collaboration in 2024 – and wishing everyone a wonderful festive break.

This year’s ‘Together at Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey reflected upon the importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other - especially in the more difficult moments of our lives. It shone a light on individuals from all over the UK who have shown kindness and empathy towards others in their communities.   Amanda Berry OBE, CEO of The Royal Foundation, shares her thoughts on the service, which will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX on Christmas Eve at 7.30pm.

"An unprecedented feat for the fight against illegal wildlife trade" – The Prince of Wales   We've recently been working with some of our brilliant global partners to support one of the largest wildlife repatriations ever. Following the seizure of almost 1000 endangered lemurs and tortoises in Thailand, our partners have been working tirelessly to get these animals safely back home 🐢   These situations are incredibly complex and costly but by working together across multiple organisations and geographies, these amazing animals have successfully made it back to Madagascar, where they belong.    Prince William commented, "We must look to this collaborative model for future operations to ensure we are acting swiftly and safely to remove animals from the hands of criminals and return them to their natural habitats.”   This wouldn't have been possible without our partners: UNODC, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Wildlife Justice Commission, Qatar Airways Cargo, Airlink   See more on the story below ⬇️

Today, The Princess of Wales hosted her fourth 'Together at Christmas' Carol Service at Westminster Abbey. Supported by The Royal Foundation, this year’s service reflected upon the importance of love and empathy, and how much we need each other, especially in the more difficult moments of our lives. It was wonderful to bring together individuals from all over the UK who have shown love, kindness and empathy to others in their communities. Join us on Christmas Eve when the service will air as part of a special programme on ITV1 and will feature musical performances from guests including Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Gregory Porter.

This December, communities across the UK are coming together to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas. The 'Together at Christmas' initiative, led by The Royal Foundation, reminds us all of the importance of the core values of love and empathy at this time of year. Fifteen Community Carol Services across the UK will bring people in their local communities closer together this Christmas - a chance at the end of the year to reflect on community service and celebrate those who generously give their time to support others.    These services are inspired by The Princess of Wales’ service at Westminster Abbey. They acknowledge the extraordinary kindness and compassion demonstrated by individuals and organisations in local communities, honouring the local heroes who make a positive difference daily.    Last night, a service took place at Rochester Cathedral. The service recognised those who have gone above and beyond to help others. As the area has strong links to Charles Dickens, it featured a reading by Ollie Dickens, a direct descendant of Charles Dickens, in celebration of his iconic A Christmas Carol story.