Today The Duchess of Cambridge Catherine officially opened new headquarters of Place2Be in London. Place2Be is one of the earliest patronages and close to Duchess’s heart.
Place2Be provides emotional and therapeutic support to children in schools, working alongside school leaders, teachers and parents.
The new headquarters will provide state-of-the-art training facilities, enabling Place2Be to train more counsellors, teachers, school leaders, and a new home for our research & evaluation teams.
Ahead of the engagement, Kensington Palace said,” The Duchess will use the visit to learn more about the training provided and research conducted by Place2Be around children’s mental health, which is key part of her work to support mothers, teachers and parents in order to ensure children have the best possible start in life.”
At the centre, Duchess met the staff and more about the work and facilities. The new building will become a hub for excellence in children’s mental health, driving progress through evidence-based practice, professional development and research.
Throughout the morning, the guests and supporters had been getting hands-on experience of Place2Be and The Art Room’s work. Place2Be was merged to another patronage of Duchess – The Art Room in this January.
The Art Room provides a group work intervention in schools using creativity and art to improve the wellbeing of pupils experiencing emotional or behavioural difficulties.
The Duchess of Cambridge in another @SeraphineLtd dress as the arrives to open the new headquarters of @Place2Be pic.twitter.com/xPalMlNmhi
— Victoria Murphy (@byQueenVic) March 7, 2018
The merging was one of the initiatives took by the Royal Foundation to provide a common platform to their charities to collaborate and do bigger goods.
The Duchess then joined a roundtable with members of Place2Be’s Research and Evaluation team, and the independent Research Advisory Group.
The Duchess got a chance to join pupils from nearby Albion Primary School who were taking part in an exercise on ‘friendship’ which is part of the latest training for school-based counselling.
Catherine officially opened the new centre of excellence by unveiling the plaque marking her visit.
Following a speech, Kate unveils a plaque to open the new @Place2Be headquarters pic.twitter.com/KXvo3ISGex
— Victoria Murphy (@byQueenVic) March 7, 2018
Speaking to officially open their new centre today, The Duchess, who is Patron of Place2Be, praised everyone for their work to support school leaders and parents, and for being at the forefront of efforts to give every child the best start in life and said, “In my years of working with all of you at Place2Be, I have seen at first hand the leadership you provide: you are at the forefront of efforts to give every child the very best start in life”.
For the visit, Duchess chose to bring back the elegant Seraphine Marlene dress she debuted in Oslo last month.
Seraphine described the dress as, “Worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, Seraphine’s Marlene Maternity Cocktail Dress is a true statement piece, perfect for special occasions. The soft woven skirt sweeps elegantly to the knee, creating a flattering A-line silhouette that’s perfect before, during and after pregnancy. The stunning lace bodice is lined in comfortable stretch jersey, while the elegant long sleeves are made in stylish peek-a-boo lace, with subtle bell detailing at the cuffs. Velvet ribbon detailing at the empire waist, cuffs and collar complete the look.”
Duchess paired the outfit with Stuart Weitzman Power pumps.
Catherine carried her Mulberry Bayswater clutch and finished look with Sapphire and Diamond Earrings.
On Monday we will see Duchess with Her Majesty and other members of Royal Family at Commonwealth Day Service.