Organisation have spoken of their pride after Prince Edward visited Oxford this week to tour around homelessness, arts, and refugee projects.
The Duke of Edinburgh was in the city on Tuesday, February 20, and visited several locations, speaking to volunteers and helpers.
Among his trips was a venture to the Old Fire Station and Crisis on George Street, discovering the unique partnership between the pair of organisations.
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Since 2011, these two charities have worked and experimented together to meaningfully include people experiencing homelessness in the day-to-day life of a public arts centre.
Through this collaborative union, they offer emergency and then ongoing, long-term support to help people move on in their lives.
Clara Vaughan, the Old Fire Station chief executive, said: “We were immensely proud and happy to talk about the unique partnership between Crisis and the Old Fire Station with HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and to show many examples of how the work we do together contributes to the long-term wellbeing of people in our city.”
Kate Cocker, Crisis Skylight Oxford director, said: “We were delighted to welcome The Duke of Edinburgh to Crisis Skylight Oxford, and to show him how we work with people across Oxford to help them on a journey out of homelessness.
“It is vital to be able to raise awareness of homelessness, and the work that we do, to ensure we can continue to build support for our mission to end homelessness for good, both in Oxford and across Great Britain.”
His Royal Highness also visited Damascus Rose Kitchen (DRK) which became the third organisation to operate in the building in 2022.
Nuha Abado, founder of Damascus Rose Kitchen, said: “I was delighted to meet with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and share with him the story of hope and hospitality that is at the heart of DRK’s work at the Old Fire Station and in our local communities.”
The Prince also visited the Story Museum on Pembroke Street and Flo’s - The Place in the Park as part of the Oxford trip.
Flo’s was opened by the community in 2018 bringing new life to a decommissioned Children's Centre.
Laura Sewell, Flo’s director, said: “We are extremely proud of our work to support the community here in OX4.
“Flo’s is a thriving place where we hope everyone can feel at home, where a love of nature and the environment is nurtured and where people can gather to learn and connect.
“Being selected for a Royal visit is a credit to the community members who founded Flo’s and were delighted to have the opportunity to show The Duke of Edinburgh around our busy and welcoming hub.”
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