The Almshouse Association was delighted to put forward one of our member charities in Ely to be included in a Royal “Awayday”.  

On 27th November 2018, the Association was very proud when HRH The Prince of Wales in his capacity as Patron of the Association, visited Thomas Parsons’ Charity.  Upon arrival His Royal Highness was greeted by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant who presented Nick Phillips, CEO of The Almshouse Association and David Brand, Chair of the Trustees of Thomas Parsons’ Charity.

HRH was then invited to visit a resident in her almshouse.  Jennifer Millard, Receiver for the Thomas Parson’s Charity greeted His Royal Highness and presented June Hewes, who has lived in one of the almshouses for 10 years. Once inside, he admired her living room and had a tour of the kitchen and bathroom.  “This is not a bad little place is it and they are all nice neighbours too, I hope,” he said.

Speaking after the visit, June said: “That was wonderful but very nerve-wracking in advance as I’ve had to do a lot of cleaning in preparation. It’s not every day you get a royal guest.”

Prince Charles was then invited to join some of the Thomas Parson’s Charity residents in the Poet’s House and shared a cup of tea with each table in the dining room while chatting to residents, staff and trustees.

“You must have all been waiting very patiently and I would like to wish you a very merry early Christmas,” he said.

Vera Ford, 91, who has lived in an almshouse for five years, said: “He was so nice and asked me about Christmas and my holiday plans and I would be quite happy for him to be king one day.”

John Moore, who works for the Thomas Parsons’ Charity, said: “What a friendly and nice man, he was very interested in speaking to everyone about their houses and he was extremely down to earth.”

At the end of the visit, David Brand thanked His Royal Highness for taking the time to visit the charity and presented him with a bound copy of the history of the charity. His Royal Highness then unveiled a plaque to commemorate his visit.

It was an incredibly busy day for The Prince of Wales as he also met with many Cambridgeshire dignitaries, visited the stained glass museum and undertook a walkabout of Ely farmers’ market, all the while chatting with and shaking the hands of the many well-wishers along the way.

The Almshouse Association is very honoured that His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales is Patron of the Association. It is our hope that he will be able to continue to visit as many of our member charities as possible in the future.