Duchess to be patron of youth charity

From the archive, first published Saturday 17th Sep 2005.

The Duchess of Cornwall has agreed to become the patron of Youth Action Wiltshire, which provides training, information, sporting and creative activities to youth clubs and projects.

YAW has been operating since 1947 with the aim of giving all young people the support they need to reach their full potential as individuals and active members of their communities.

President Sarah Troughton said the charity was delighted the Duchess had agreed to become its patron. "We try to help young people throughout Wiltshire to get the right start in life," she said.

"We are particularly pleased that the duchess, who has a long association with the county, will be part of our organisation and her support has been invaluable."

The duchess, formerly Camilla Parker-Bowles, still owns a home at Reybridge, near Lacock.

Youth clubs form the backbone of YAW, and many are run by volunteers in isolated rural communities where there is little or no alternative provision.

They offer safe places to go and things to do for young people, some of whom may be vulnerable, disadvantaged or disaffected.

YAW also works in partnership with other agencies, such as the Youth Development Service, the Children and Education Service and the Prince's Trust. The charity also supports young carers and gives them time-out from their responsibilities.

Meanwhile, security at the duchess's Reybridge home, a few miles from Chippenham, is being beefed up.

The duchess, who married Prince Charles in April, has been granted temporary planning permission for a security building for the royal protection officers who guard the house.

The planning application gave no more detail than describing the building as a `self-contained site welfare unit' and was approved by North Wiltshire District Council's senior planning officer Charles Pescod.

The duchess's riverside home, where she moved in the 1990s following the break up of her marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles, is a Grade II listed building. But the applicants got around any complications by only applying for three-year temporary permission.

Mr Pescod said: "The development preserves the setting of the Grade II listed building and it would not have an adverse impact on the area."

The duchess's home is described as a bolt-hole, where she can escape from both London life and the rigours of running a large home such as Highgrove. But its open nature and public access has long been a source of concern for her, Prince Charles and the royal security personnel.

It became even more exposed after council chiefs in North Wiltshire opened up the riverbank and nearby disused canal towpath to cyclists.

Anxiety deepened when she received hundreds of poison pen letters, some threatening, after the announcement of her engagement and subsequent wedding.

Stopps Ltd, of Walton-on-Thames, is the firm employed to strengthen security. It is based close to Windsor and has a long track record of providing physical security buildings to the Ministry of Defence and upper-crust stores.

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