Latest news with #CharitiesForum
Scotsman
16-06-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Charity doesn't begin at home but where it is needed most
The Princess Royal held a Charities Forum at Buckingham Palace I am not particularly fond of the saying 'charity begins at home'. There is so much hurt and need in this world that there shouldn't be any boundaries to our generosity. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Our natural human instinct may be to take care of our own, but if the world is to flourish, we surely must accept our responsibility to people we may never meet, but whose lives matter just as much as those of our friends and neighbours. I have been privileged in the last ten days to spend time with people who do just that, who dedicate their spare time – sometimes their whole life – to caring for strangers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First I attended a seminar in Buckingham Palace, hosted by HRH The Princess Royal, on the challenges facing charities today. I was there representing the Scotland Malawi Partnership – Princess Anne is the network's honorary co-patron – and once I had recovered from the shock of being in the palace, rather than seeing it on TV, I learned a lot from the four impressive speakers, including Her Royal Highness. Perhaps the biggest lesson I took away was the importance of the charity and voluntary sector in society, whether it is supporting survivors of spinal injuries or helping girls in Africa complete their education. And as the government's spending cuts start to bite, charities will have an even more crucial role to play. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Then last Thursday, I was the guest speaker at Grangemouth Rotary, where I spoke about the work I do for the McConnell International Foundation and its scholar-ship programme for girls in Malawi. Until recently I knew very little about Rotary. I had heard of it of course, but had not fully understood the scale of its work. It is one of the largest and most successful humanitarian service organisations in the world, with 1.4m members in 34,000 clubs around the globe. And while it was founded in Chicago in 1905 by Paul Harris, a lawyer, his wife Jean was from Edinburgh. In fact, their house in Chicago was named Comely Bank and Jean returned to live in the Capital after Paul died, and she is buried in Newington Cemetery. Rotary supports many good causes across the world, including education, protecting the environment and saving mothers and children. Remarkably, since 1985 it has also led global efforts to eradicate polio around the world, raising over $2 billion to immunise three billion children. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And the thing about Rotary is that it is made up of people just like you and me. Some may be experts in their field, but the one thing that unites every member is their commitment to service, fellowship and diversity. On Thursday night, I heard of the Grangemouth club's generous work with CHAS, Scotland's children's hospice, and recently the Edinburgh club made a donation to the McConnell International Foundation which will keep ten Malawi girls in school for a year. Rotary members are an example to us all. Their philanthropy has no borders. Their efforts are directed at charities here in Scotland, as well as countries most members will never visit. As the world becomes more unsettled, we should all be very grateful that organisations like Rotary continue their life-changing work.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Anne Makes Rare Joke About Brother King Charles: 'I Need to Say That'
Princess Anne joked that she needed permission from her brother, King Charles, to host her Charities Forum at Buckingham Palace The Princess Royal told the crowd, "We are very fortunate that His Majesty has allowed us to use Buckingham Palace for this event tonight — and I need to say that — it does help" The King and his sister have shown their close bond over the years, with Anne even serving a key role during her brother's 2023 coronationPrincess Anne kept it lighthearted while addressing a group of charities gathered to help ring in her 75th birthday. The royal, who invited representatives from over 100 organizations to Buckingham Palace for a forum ahead of her Aug. 15 birthday, delivered a speech to her 200-plus guests after hearing from charity leaders Sarah Woolnough of The King's Fund, David Holdsworth of the Charity Commission and Zoe Amar of Zoe Amar Digital. "I'm not here because this was my choice," the Princess Royal told the crowd. "You very kindly asked me to become patron of your organizations, so it's an honor for me to have all of you here." Then, slipping in a joke about her brother King Charles, she said, "I would just like to make the point that we are very fortunate that His Majesty has allowed us to use Buckingham Palace for this event tonight — and I need to say that — it does help." Anne's Charities Forum gathered on Friday, June 6, to discuss "challenges facing the sector, public trust in charities and the opportunities and risks presented by new technologies," the royal family shared on their official website. While the Princess Royal slipped some of her well-known dry humor into her speech, she also took the opportunity to thank the attendees, who were invited from the over 300 charities she supports. Representatives from both Save the Children and Riding for the Disabled — Anne's most longstanding patronages — were in attendance at the forum. "The responsibility and respect that you give to your own organizations, the people who work for you and your own beneficiaries, is perhaps the key to what makes you so important," she told the forum audience. "Respect and responsibility. Thank you very much for doing what you do." Anne and Charles have shown their tight bond over the years, including on one of the most important days in the King's life: his coronation. The Princess Royal attended the 2023 crowning of her elder brother and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, where she served as Gold-Stick-in-Waiting. Anne has held the prestigious role since 1998. The position is hundreds of years old, dating all the way back to the 15th century, when officers were tasked with keeping the monarch from harm by staying in close proximity. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Princess Anne led 6,000 armed services personnel to Buckingham Palace on horseback during the King's coronation day, which reflected the close relationship between the siblings, Anne's daughter Zara Tindall told PEOPLE at the time. "It's a busy time for them all, and her and her brother are very close, so it's a nice thing to do," Zara said. The King also showed his respect for his sister by making her a Counsellor of State after his accession in September 2022. The duty means that Anne can execute constitutional duties if the King is abroad or unwell. Read the original article on People
