Latest news with #GurkhaWelfareTrust
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘It is a huge honour and privilege': New Mayor of Dudley appointed
THE former Deputy Mayor has been appointed the new Mayor of Dudley. Amblecote councillor, Pete Lee, was named the borough's first citizen at the Annual Council Meeting last night (May 15). He has pledged to raise thousands of pounds for five charities during his year in office. After officially being sworn in, the Cllr Lee named the charities he will be helping to raise money for in the coming year – The Gurkha Welfare Trust, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, The Leukaemia Unit Appeal Fund (supporting the Georgina Unit at Russells Hall), The Alzheimer's Society and Disability in Action (Queen's Cross Network.) Councillor Pete Lee, Mayor of Dudley, said: 'It is a huge honour and privilege to serve the residents of the borough as Mayor of Dudley. 'Over the past year as Deputy Mayor, I have enjoyed meeting so many individuals and organisations and hearing about the amazing work they are doing across the borough and I'm looking forward to meeting so many more during the coming year. 'I am also looking forward to raising funds for these incredible charities so they can continue their incredible work.' The Mayor also said he will be reintroducing the Lord's Prayer and the National Anthem to full council meetings. His wife, Gloria, will be Mayoress. At the same meeting, Councillor Mushtaq Hussain was named Deputy Mayor of Dudley, with his wife, Sugra Hussain, Deputy Mayoress.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sophie and Edward reveal the two things they do to keep their marriage strong
It's been a busy week for the royals (and ex-royals). Meghan and Harry have been hosting the annual Invictus Games in Canada and brushing shoulders with Nelly Furtado; the Princess of Wales joined a primary school trip to the National Portrait Gallery in London; and, in a surprise twist, King Charles made a martini under the watchful eye of Stanley Tucci and mixologist Alessandro Palazzi. But in the steep climbs of Kathmandu, Nepal, Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, were quietly off planting magnolia trees and meeting veterans and widows at the Gurkha Welfare Trust centre – as Edward's mother and father, the late Queen and Prince Philip, had done in 1986. Just as the trees his parents planted were thriving – 'gosh, they've done very, very well', Edward exclaimed – his marriage to Sophie, which has lasted more than 25 years, has stood the test of time. The pair first met in 1987, when Sophie was working for Capital Radio. They began dating and got engaged in January 1999, before their wedding that June – the couple's first dance was said to have been to Sixpence None The Richer's 'Kiss Me'. Edward is the only one of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's children to not have divorced. Speaking to The Times on their six-day trip to Nepal, the couple attribute their success to two things: humour and a healthy slice of competition. 'There was a wonderful confusion because they wanted us both to plant the tree, but Sophie was then going to go and plant a rhododendron,' Edward said. 'Well, hang on a minute. If you're going to plant the rhododendron, I should plant the tree – there was a lot of banter going on.' According to the paper, Sophie laugh and agreed that they are 'always' competitive with one another. She also joked about their upcoming trek to the mountain village of Ghandruk, which they did on Sunday, stating: 'Got to be competitive going up those hills.' Another key ingredient to their happy marriage is the fact they are 'best friends', as Edward put it. Sophie replied: 'That's true. There's always got to be humour – especially when you're travelling and you've got no idea what's about to happen. You've got to laugh.' Generally speaking, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have managed to stay out of the public eye compared to their other royal counterparts. Their children, Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and James, the Earl of Wessex, 17, also manage to keep things low-key, despite their familial connections. That said, according to The Times, Prince William is keen to give the couple more official duties and a bigger role when he becomes King. Read more about the royals Royal baby names and their meanings, as Princess Beatrice calls daughter Athena (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read) How Meghan is using social media to usher in her new influencer era (Yahoo Life UK, 8-min read) "Fashion does matter – why what Kate wears will always be important" (Harper's Bazaar, 3-min read)
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Prince Edward and Sophie hold hands during Nepal tour as they visit spot where late Queen and Prince Philip planted trees
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were pictured holding hands and lovingly poking at each other during their trip to Nepal. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie toured the Godawari National Botanic Garden on the outskirts of Kathmandu on the second day of their official royal tour of the Himalayan nation. They held hands as they went down a flight of stone stairs after visiting the site's orchid house, surrounded by views of the Kathmandu Valley. The couple, both 60, had earlier planted a magnolia tree just metres from a pair planted by the late Queen and Prince Philip in 1986. Edward commented on his parents' work, saying: "Gosh, they've done very, very well." The duchess encouraged her husband as he picked up a spade and filled in the hole for the new tree, saying: "Keep going, darling." The pair both laughed as Edward said: "That's the best bit of exercise I've had in ages." Sophie expressed concern at the amount of waste left behind by climbers of Nepal's most famous landmark, Mount Everest, as she asked whether any of the money paid by them to visit the site could be "earmarked for dealing with some of the issues". She said: "People leave everything behind and it has a huge impact." Read more from Sky News: The couple also met the seven finalists of the UK-funded Hindu Kush Himalaya Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs, before flying to the lakeside city of Pokhara, where they visited the Gurkha Welfare Trust's welfare centre and met elderly veterans and widows supported by the charity. Ash Kamari Tamang, a 104-year-old resident, was among those who talked to the royals. She moved to the centre in 2011 after the trust stepped in when she was struggling to care for herself. Her husband enlisted in the Gurkhas in 1943 and served with the British Army brigade in Italy before his battalion was disbanded in 1945, and he returned to Nepal and became a farmer. The trust provided him with a pension until died in 2006. The duke asked if the centre was looking after her well, to which she responded: "They must be doing a very good job." The royal couple also spoke to 99-year-old Burma war veteran Bar Bahadur Gurung, who suffered a debilitating hand injury when a Japanese soldier cut his finger with a sword. After hearing his story, the duke told Mr Gurung: "Thank you for what you did. We appreciate it." After a group photograph, Edward said to the veterans and widows who had gathered: "Thank you for what you and your husbands did." Speaking to the charity's staff, he added: "And thank you for everything that you do." It wasn't until 2007 that retiring Gurkhas, or those who had retired since July 1997, were able to enter the UK wider armed forces pension scheme. Before that, some received a pension but it was at a much lower rate and many did not receive a pension at all.
Sky News
06-02-2025
- General
- Sky News
Prince Edward and Sophie hold hands during Nepal tour as they visit spot where late Queen and Prince Philip planted trees
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were pictured holding hands and lovingly poking at each other during their trip to Nepal. Prince Edward and his wife Sophie toured the Godawari National Botanic Garden on the outskirts of Kathmandu on the second day of their official royal tour of the Himalayan nation. They held hands as they went down a flight of stone stairs after visiting the site's orchid house, surrounded by views of the Kathmandu Valley. The couple, both 60, had earlier planted a magnolia tree just metres from a pair planted by the late Queen and Prince Philip in 1986. Edward commented on his parents' work, saying: "Gosh, they've done very, very well." The duchess encouraged her husband as he picked up a spade and filled in the hole for the new tree, saying: "Keep going, darling." The pair both laughed as Edward said: "That's the best bit of exercise I've had in ages." Sophie expressed concern at the amount of waste left behind by climbers of Nepal's most famous landmark, Mount Everest, as she asked whether any of the money paid by them to visit the site could be "earmarked for dealing with some of the issues". She said: "People leave everything behind and it has a huge impact." The couple also met the seven finalists of the UK-funded Hindu Kush Himalaya Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs, before flying to the lakeside city of Pokhara, where they visited the Gurkha Welfare Trust's welfare centre and met elderly veterans and widows supported by the charity. Ash Kamari Tamang, a 104-year-old resident, was among those who talked to the royals. She moved to the centre in 2011 after the trust stepped in when she was struggling to care for herself. Her husband enlisted in the Gurkhas in 1943 and served with the British Army brigade in Italy before his battalion was disbanded in 1945, and he returned to Nepal and became a farmer. The trust provided him with a pension until died in 2006. The duke asked if the centre was looking after her well, to which she responded: "They must be doing a very good job." The royal couple also spoke to 99-year-old Burma war veteran Bar Bahadur Gurung, who suffered a debilitating hand injury when a Japanese soldier cut his finger with a sword. After hearing his story, the duke told Mr Gurung: "Thank you for what you did. We appreciate it." After a group photograph, Edward said to the veterans and widows who had gathered: "Thank you for what you and your husbands did." Speaking to the charity's staff, he added: "And thank you for everything that you do." It wasn't until 2007 that retiring Gurkhas, or those who had retired since July 1997, were able to enter the UK wider armed forces pension scheme. Before that, some received a pension but it was at a much lower rate and many did not receive a pension at all.
