KATE’S ON A MISSION...
Duchess underlines her passion for helping children and those with mental health issues on visit to Wales
The Duchess of Cambridge showed off her “dreadful” poolplaying skills during a lighthearted moment after a morning talking to children and young people with complex mental health needs.
Kate was welcomed to MIST (Action For Children Multi-Disciplinary Intervention Service Torfaen) in Pontypool, Torfaen, a child and adolescent mental health project, by service user Craig Davies, 15, who also became her team-mate in the impromptu game of pool.
Unfortunately for Craig, who was playing with the duchess against fellow service user Connor Goodacre, also 15, she missed her shot.
Craig said he was initially nervous about meeting Kate but lost his shyness, especially after chatting with her about Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
He said they also discussed their pets, including Kate’s dog, Lupo, and hamster, Marvin, and his Jack Russell, Wilf.
He said: “She was talking about how MIST helps us and stuff with life and school.
“She was really interested in what we were talking about.”
Asked what he thought of Kate’s pool skills, Craig pulled a face and said: “She was dreadful.”
MIST has been running for 12 years, working with young people and their carers or birth families to address complex mental health needs.
The engagement yesterday was her first with Action for Children since becoming the charity’s patron in December, following on from the Queen.
The duchess, who wore a burgundy suit by French brand Paule Ka for the visit, spent time with the team behind MIST, birth parents and foster carers, and partners of the service including representatives from the local council and health board.
She sat in on a private session with some of the youngsters before being given posies by Ypapanti Galimatakis-Rees, eight, and Chloe Bartlett, 10, who chatted to the duchess about their birthdays.
Kate told the girls that George’s birthday is in July and Ypapanti said she would be nine in the same month.
Kate said: “Both George and Charlotte would have loved to have met you.”
She then gave them a hug before leaving.
Chloe said she had always wanted to meet a member of the Royal Family and had managed to get “five hugs” from Kate.
The duchess was interested in people’s experiences of working with MIST. Chris Simmonds, 41, from Blaenavon, Gwent, whose son uses the service, said the structure provided by the project was important for helping children with their difficulties.
He said to her: “It is amazing that people like yourself can put your weight behind organisations like this.”
Kate shrugged off the praise and said: “It is an area that I am so passionate about, particularly the development and early intervention of children and supporting the family structures.”
Afterwards Mr Simmonds said: “I think she was absolutely lovely and she showed a genuine interest in what was going on here.
“It did not seem like it was just something she had to do, which is very encouraging.”
Foster carer Jeanette Gillies, 48, talked to the duchess about the therapeutic tools they were able to learn at MIST and how amazing they were.
She then joked with the duchess: “If you need any, Kate.”
Ms Gillies said afterwards of Kate’s reaction: “She laughed. She was very gracious.
“Unfortunately I called her by her first name and it is lovely that she responded so well to that.”
Action for Children, which cares for disadvantaged children from across the UK, helps all types of families, supporting children and carers through fostering and adoption and intervening early to stop neglect and abuse.
It also aims to make life better for children with disabilities.
In total, 7,000 staff and volunteers operate more than 600 services, improving the lives of 390,000 children, teenagers, parents and carers each year.
Later yesterday Kate braved wind and rain to speak to families as she visited charity projects she is helping to support.
The duchess spoke to a number of well-wishers who gathered outside the Caerphilly Family Intervention Team (FIT).
She was handed tulips by sisters Freya-Lily Turner, two, and five-yearold Gwen Turner, who had travelled from Ebbw Vale to meet her.
Their grandmother, Carole Turner, 68, said: “She is just amazing. They gave her tulips.
“It was so nice to see her. I didn’t think she would come over to us in this weather, I thought she would jump straight in the car. “She was so lovely.” During her visit to FIT in Caerphilly, Kate spoke with staff at the centre, and with Sir Tony Hawkhead, chief executive of Action for Children.
She met families who use the centre, including grandmother Christine Jones, 47, and her grandchildren, Emily Davies, nine, and Alfie Thomas, seven.
Mrs Jones told Kate that FIT had helped her family, including her son, Gareth, who had been bullied at school.
“It is seeing you as families, not as individuals,” Kate told her.
“It is seeing everybody at once. I am so pleased to meet everyone here and it is so brave for all of you to be sharing your stories.”
Kate spoke to Emily and Alfie about their time at the centre and asked what they enjoyed doing with their grandmother.
After hearing they had been to see Moana at the cinema, she replied: “I haven’t seen it. You lucky things!
“It is a real treat to go to the cinema, isn’t it?”
Alfie told Kate he played I Spy, and she said: “I Spy? That’s a really good game. I am sitting next to two I Spy champions? Uh-oh!”
Kate also sat with a psychotherapist and watched through a two-way mirror as a family had a therapy session in an adjoining room.
She was presented with posies by five-year-old Casey Johnson and her sister, Emily Johnson, seven, before posing for a picture with staff and children.
“Very well-behaved children,” she said. “I am very impressed.”
Speaking after her visit, Mrs Jones said it had been “amazing” for Kate to visit the centre.
“They need all the help they can get at the moment,” she said.
“They do wonders for my family and I know they can do wonders for other families as well.
“I was so nervous, I was shaking, but she was worth it. She was genuinely interested.
“It was brilliant to see her with my grandchildren, to see her interact with them was really good.”
David Richardson, family support practitioner at FIT, said of the duchess: “She was obviously genuinely interested in our work.
“It was good to be able to share it with her.”
Helen O’Shea, a consultant clinical psychiatrist seconded to FIT, added: “I thought she asked really relevant questions.
“It was lovely to hear her asking about children and families.”