Duchess charms all on visit to tearoom

“If I set one up I’d call it MAT, which is short for Mothers’ Army Tearooms.”

And she was delighted to meet nine-year-old Ruddi WaterworthJones who had inspired his mum, Ali, to set up the charity which gives families with seriously ill children the chance to get a free holiday in a caravan owned by the charity at Primrose Valley.

As soon as she saw him waiting to present her with flowers she said: “Hey, Ruddi, so nice to see you.”

And when she had him posing for pictures with pupils from Linthwaite Clough and Linthwaite Ardron which he attends, she said: “I’ve a feeling you’ve done this before – you’re a real professional.”

She brought him a bearskin hat as a present and baskets filled with posh teas and other treats for Ali.

Upstairs award-winning cake decorator Tracy Hirst, from Linthwaite, showed the Duchess and Ruddi how to put icing on a cupcake so they teamed up to have a go.

“Mine’s like the leaning Tower of Pisa,” said the Duchess. “Oh, hang on, it’s fallen over. It’s just like the Generation Game this.”

She met families who are benefiting from the caravan. Nicki Hobson, of Cowlersley, is going soon with her six-year-old son Kaiden who has Down’s syndrome, his 11-year-old brother Callum, daughter Natalia and granddaughter Leyla.

Four-year-old Savannah McCallister, from Slaithwaite, has been battling leukaemia and her family has been twice to the caravan.

Ali said after Sarah had left: “She was absolutely amazing. Even though she’s just left I can’t believe she’s been here to see us.”

Ruddi has been invited to Windsor Castle on Saturday for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel.

At the university the students were asked to draw inspiration from old herbal recipes and flowers from wild kitchen gardens. Then, the brief was to create designs suitable for children’s fashion and a matching garment for a doll, or for a child’s bedroom interior and the interior of a doll’s house.