
Duchess of Edinburgh becomes patron of charity where late Queen railed against divorce
The Duchess of Edinburgh has become patron of the Mothers' Union, taking over from Elizabeth II, who once told its members that divorce was 'responsible for some of the darkest evils in our society'.
Sophie visited the Christian organisation, which marks its 150th anniversary next year, in Chelmsford, Essex, on Thursday to hear about its English for Women project.
The initiative aims to reduce the isolation of women in local communities who speak little or no English after fleeing conflict or challenging situations.
It chimes with much of the Duchess's work in supporting women in conflict zones.
Mothers' Union was founded in 1876 by Mary Sumner, the wife of a Winchester rector, to support mothers from all backgrounds as they brought up their children in the Christian faith.
It was once criticised for being 'fuddy-duddy' and too concerned with 'tea-making and trivia'.
Its traditional Christian values barred divorcees and single mothers from membership until the 1960s.
The charity's support for the sanctity of marriage was supported by the late Queen who, as a 23-year-old Princess, told the union in 1949: 'When we see around us the havoc which has been wrought, above all among the children, by the breakup of homes, we can have no doubt that divorce and separation are responsible for some of the darkest evils in our society today.'
The union has since worked to shake off its traditional image and now boasts some four million members in 84 countries.
In 2003, it called for young couples preparing to get married to take HIV tests, while in 2011, its then chief executive carried out an independent review into the sexualisation of childhood on behalf of the coalition government.
It works in prisons, highlights domestic abuse in communities and offers support to the vulnerable.
In becoming patron, the Duchess follows in the footsteps of her late mother-in-law, as well as the Queen Mother. Its first royal patron was Queen Victoria.
Kathleen Snow, worldwide president of the union, said: 'The Duchess will bring strength and inspiration for the work we all do.
'We are especially grateful for Her Royal Highness's experience and commitment to championing the most marginalised, particularly those who are impacted by violence and abuse in conflict, a cause we are passionate about, because conflict disproportionately affects women and children.
'As a woman-led movement, we also greatly welcome the duchess's commitment to promoting the development of women into leadership.'
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South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
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South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
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Government should auto-enrol eligible pupils for free school meals
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It said: 'Despite this expansion in FSM (free school meals) eligibility, without further action from the Government, children may continue to miss out on the free meals they are entitled to. 'The barriers to registration and differences in registration practices across LAs means children still face inequalities in access to free meals.' The report added: 'In terms of barriers families face in applying to FSM – including English as an additional language, stigma, confusion about eligibility – auto-enrolment would largely eradicate these issues.' Despite efforts to boost registration, language barriers and a lack of digital access are preventing the meals reaching children that need them, it said. An additional 77,700 children became eligible for free school meals in the past year, according to recent data published by the Department for Education. 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Dr Kerris Cooper, senior researcher for early years and inequalities at EPI, said: 'Our research shows that while the extension of free school meal eligibility is a very positive step, more needs to be done to ensure that all children entitled to free meals can actually access them. 'First, there are still significant barriers for families to register for FSM, and where a child lives plays too big a role in their chances of being registered. 'Second, the youngest children, who face the highest risk of poverty, will not benefit from this expansion in eligibility unless all children attending early education are also included and settings are supported to deliver this. 'Introducing national auto-enrolment and including children in early education would enable this expansion in FSM eligibility to more meaningfully extend access to more children in poverty.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The expansion of free school meals, to include all children in households on universal credit, is a positive move that recognises there are children living in poverty who have been missing out. 'Moving to a national system of auto-enrolment would be the next logical step to ensure that everyone who is now eligible under the new criteria will actually receive a meal and the intended benefits.' He added: 'We see no reason why a national system of auto-enrolment cannot be established relatively straightforwardly. 'This is something that would make a big difference to vulnerable families.' Last week, education minister Stephen Morgan told MPs in the Commons that the Government would be working to make it easier for people to apply. He said the announcement on expanding free school meals was a 'significant, straightforward process for parents to know whether they are eligible'. A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Through our Plan for Change, this government has taken a historic step to tackle the stain of child poverty and spread opportunity – extending free school meal eligibility to all children in households on Universal Credit. 'This means over half a million more children will be able to access free meals from the 2026 school year, lifting 100,000 children completely out of poverty – and we will launch an upgraded eligibility checking tool next year to make it simpler than ever for parents to see if they can benefit. 'This forms part of our wider plan to put money back in the pockets of working families – with parents also set to benefit from our free breakfast club rollout and school uniform cost cap, helping them save up to £500 a year.'


Glasgow Times
3 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Government should auto-enrol eligible pupils for free school meals
There is variation in free school meal registration practices across England, research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has suggested. It comes after ministers set out plans to expand free school meals to all pupils in England from families on universal credit. Currently, households in England on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals. The expansion of free school meals to all pupils in families on universal credit from September 2026 will make 500,000 more children eligible for free lunches, the Government has said. Parents currently have to apply for their children to receive free school meals and eligible children are not automatically enrolled. The paper, funded by The Nuffield Foundation, calls on the Government to introduce a national auto-enrolment scheme to ensure all eligible families are registered for free school meals. It said: 'Despite this expansion in FSM (free school meals) eligibility, without further action from the Government, children may continue to miss out on the free meals they are entitled to. 'The barriers to registration and differences in registration practices across LAs means children still face inequalities in access to free meals.' The report added: 'In terms of barriers families face in applying to FSM – including English as an additional language, stigma, confusion about eligibility – auto-enrolment would largely eradicate these issues.' Despite efforts to boost registration, language barriers and a lack of digital access are preventing the meals reaching children that need them, it said. An additional 77,700 children became eligible for free school meals in the past year, according to recent data published by the Department for Education. 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Dr Kerris Cooper, senior researcher for early years and inequalities at EPI, said: 'Our research shows that while the extension of free school meal eligibility is a very positive step, more needs to be done to ensure that all children entitled to free meals can actually access them. 'First, there are still significant barriers for families to register for FSM, and where a child lives plays too big a role in their chances of being registered. 'Second, the youngest children, who face the highest risk of poverty, will not benefit from this expansion in eligibility unless all children attending early education are also included and settings are supported to deliver this. 'Introducing national auto-enrolment and including children in early education would enable this expansion in FSM eligibility to more meaningfully extend access to more children in poverty.' Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The expansion of free school meals, to include all children in households on universal credit, is a positive move that recognises there are children living in poverty who have been missing out. 'Moving to a national system of auto-enrolment would be the next logical step to ensure that everyone who is now eligible under the new criteria will actually receive a meal and the intended benefits.' He added: 'We see no reason why a national system of auto-enrolment cannot be established relatively straightforwardly. 'This is something that would make a big difference to vulnerable families.' Last week, education minister Stephen Morgan told MPs in the Commons that the Government would be working to make it easier for people to apply. He said the announcement on expanding free school meals was a 'significant, straightforward process for parents to know whether they are eligible'. A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'Through our Plan for Change, this government has taken a historic step to tackle the stain of child poverty and spread opportunity – extending free school meal eligibility to all children in households on Universal Credit. 'This means over half a million more children will be able to access free meals from the 2026 school year, lifting 100,000 children completely out of poverty – and we will launch an upgraded eligibility checking tool next year to make it simpler than ever for parents to see if they can benefit. 'This forms part of our wider plan to put money back in the pockets of working families – with parents also set to benefit from our free breakfast club rollout and school uniform cost cap, helping them save up to £500 a year.'