2013 | Place2Be

FROM THE WEBSITE: Place2Be provides emotional and therapeutic services in primary and secondary schools, building children’s resilience through talking, creative work and play. Place2Be provides children’s mental health services in 282 primary and secondary schools, helping them to cope with wide-ranging and often complex social issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma.

INFORMATION:

Place2Be and the Art Room merged in January 2018. Before that Catherine was patron of the two separate charities (Art Room since January 2012 and Place2Be since April 2013).

Past engagements from The Art Room have been added to this list.

EFFORTS:

February 21, 2012 – Catherine, Duchess Of Cambridge Visits Schools In Oxford – Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visits Oxford Spires Academy in Oxford, England. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as patron of charity The Art Room, visited two schools in Oxford in association with the organisation that works with children to increase self-confidence and self-esteem.

June 15, 2012 – Performance Of ‘The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe’ In Kensington Gardens – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge osts children and young people from The Art Room at a performance of ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ in Kensington Gardens on June 15, 2012 in London, England.

April 22, 2013 – The Duchess Of Cambridge Visits Willows Primary School – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge makes a visit to The Willows Primary School, Wythenshawe to launch a new school counseling program, M-PACT Plus in Manchester, England. Funded by Comic Relief and The Royal Foundation, the project will see Place2Be and Action on Addiction work in partnership to provide early support for school children affected by a parents drug or alcohol misuse.

November 20, 2013 – The Duchess Of Cambridge Attends Place2Be Forum – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends a forum for the Charity Place2be at the offices of Clifford Chance in London England to address key challenges facing today’s children, and how we can help them to tackle these and grow up resilient. Topics covered included: cyberbullying; self-harm; special educational needs of children today;preventing addiction; the need for parents to bring up strong, well-adjusted children; and how we can raise aspirations, access and achievement.

February 14, 2014 – ICAP Art Room Opening At Northolt High School– Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attended the ICAP Art Room opening at Northolt High Schoolin London, England where she joined children in a workshop.

November 19, 2014 – Duchess Of Cambridge Attends The Place2Be Wellbeing Schools Awards Reception – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attended the Place2be Wellbeing in Schools Awards Reception at Kensington Palace in London, England. Catherine met with the finalist in each award category at a reception before the awards and also presented an award. She also wrote the foreward for the awards.

July 01, 2014 – The Duchess Of Cambridge Visits An M-PACT Plus Counselling Programme – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visits an M-PACT Plus Counselling programme, a programme that she helped launch at Blessed Sacrament School which offers early support to schoolchildren affected by a parent’s drug or alcohol problem in London, England. The M-PACT Plus program is a joint project of Action on Addiction and Place2Be.

January 15, 2015 – Officially Naming The Clore Art Room At Barlby Primary School – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge officially opens The Clore Art Room at Barlby Primary School in London, England. The Duchess of Cambridge was gifted a chair the students made from stamps donated by the Royal Household. Catherine also met pupils and staff and then joined a round table discussion about the work of The Art Room.

February 16, 2015 – Video Message For UK’s First Children’s Mental Health Week – The Duchess of Cambridge films a video message for the UK’s First Children’s Mental Health Week. The Duchess of Cambridge said: “Through Place2Be I have seen the benefits of offering children support for their mental health in the safety of the school environment. Both William and I sincerely believe that early action can prevent problems in childhood from turning into larger ones later in life.”

October 26, 2015 – BAFTA Charities Forum Event – Prince Willam, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry meet with children and representatives from charities and Aardman Animations, during a meeting of the Charities Forum at BAFTA in London, United Kingdom. Children from Chalkhill Primary School, one of the 257 schools Place2Be works with, attended this event.

October 27, 2015 – 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala in aid of the Art Room – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the 100 Women In Hedge Funds Gala Dinner In Aid Of The Art Room at Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.

November 18, 2015 – The Duchess Of Cambridge Attends Place2Be Headteacher Conference – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge gives a speech at the Place2Be Headteacher Conference at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London, England. The Duchess was attending as patron of the charity and as part of her ongoing work on the mental health of children. The event brings together senior leaders from Place2Be partner schools in England, Scotland and Wales to increase knowledge and understanding of children and young people’s mental health and share ideas and expertise to help build children’s emotional resilience.

February 17, 2016 – Guest Editing The Huffington Post – Kensington Palace was temporarily turned into a newsroom as The Duchess of Cambridge played guest editorfor The Huffington Post. The Duchess of Cambridge, launched an editorial series called #YoungMindsMatter that aimed to encourage conversations with children about mental health. The Duchess discussed articles, blogs and videos shencommissioned from leading figures in the mental health sector, including from Place2Be, to raise awareness about the importance of supporting children’s wellbeing.

February 24, 2016 – The Duchess Of Cambridge Visits Edinburgh – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge joins headteachers from schools in Edinburgh for a discussion about the mental health challenges of their school communities during a visit to the Place2Be charity at St. Catherine’s Primary School in Edinburgh, Scotland.

September 16, 2016 – Visiting Stewards Academy With ‘Heads Together’ – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge went “back to school” at Steward’s Academy in Harlow, England. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Steward’s Academy as part of their Heads Together campaign, to find out more about the pressures faced by young people when they are going through big changes in their lives, and learn about the support from peers and parents that can help them get through these changes. Stewards Academy is a partner school with Place2Be.

November 22, 2016 – Tea Party In Honour Of ‘Dippy’ The Dinosaur At The Natural History Museum – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends a children’s tea party with pupils from Oakington Manor Primary School in Wembley, at the Natural History Museum to celebrate Dippy the Diplodocus’s time in Hintze Hall in London, United Kingdom. The Duchess painted “dinosaur eggs” and shared cake with the children. The children were brought to the museum by Place2Be.

November 22, 2016 – Place2Be Wellbeing In Schools Awards – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Awards at Mansion House in London, United Kingdom. The Duchess of Cambridge, joined students, teachers and school Leaders to celebrate the inspiring ambassadors of positive mental health in Place2Be schools. The Duchess also gave remarks at this event.

February 06, 2017 – Attending Place2Be Big Assembly With ‘Heads Together’ – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge attend the Place2Be Big Assembly with “Heads Together” for Children’s Mental Health Week at Mitchell Brook Primary School in London, England. The Duke and Duchess met with staff and students and took part in the Assembly which was led by the students themselves and included role plays about being kind and a performance by the school choir. The Duchess also gave a speech.

October 10, 2017 – World Mental Health Day Reception At Buckingham Palace – Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry attend a reception on World Mental Health Day to celebrate the contribution of those working in the mental health sector across the UK at Buckingham Palace in London, England. Head Teachers from Place2Be schools in Lancashire, Cardiff, Leeds and Glasgow joined the other guests and organisations who have made a difference in raising awareness of mental health.

October 16, 2017 – Attending The Charities Forum Event – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry attend the Charities Forum Event. Students from three Place2Be Partner Schools were invited by STUDIOCANAL, BAFTA Kids and Belmondto to board the Belmond British Pullman train and chat with Their Royal Highnesses. During the visit Their Royal Highnesses also met the cast and crew from the forthcoming film Paddington 2 at Paddington Station.

November 08, 2017 – Attending Place2Be School Leaders Forum – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the annual Place2Be School Leaders Forum in London, England. The Duchess of Cambridge joined leaders from schools that work with Place2Be to share ideas about how best to positively affect children’s mental health and provide practical support to children, young people and their families in the school environment.

January 10, 2018 – Visiting Reach Academy Feltham With Place2Be – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visits the Reach Academy in London, England. Reach Academy is a school working in partnership with Place2Be and other organisations to support children, their families and their whole school community throughout their school career.

March 07, 2018 – Opening New Place2Be Headquarters – Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge officially opened the new headquarters of children’s mental health charity Place2Be in London, England. Catherine met staff, counsellors, teachers and school leaders who’ll be use the centre as well as pupils from Albion Primary School who took part in an exercise on ‘friendship’ which is part of the latest training for school-based counselling. The Duchess also offered a few words praising everyone for their work to support school leaders and parents, and for being at the forefront of efforts to give every child the best start in life.

February 05, 2019 – The Duchess of Cambridge Visits London Schools – The Duchess of Cambridge visited Lavender Primary School in support of Children’s Mental Health Week which is run by Place2Be. During her visit, The Duchess met teachers and students taking part in Children’s Mental Health Week activities and sat in on two different lessons focusing on the importance of physical and mental health. Her Royal Highness also watched pupils taking part in the school’s Daily Mile challenge which teaches children about the importance of being active. The Duchess then joined a group of parents talking about the challenges of putting in place good routines and habits around sleep, screen-time, healthy eating and exercise.

May 07, 2019 – The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Launch The King’s Cup Regatta – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a previously unannounced visit to Cutty Sark, to launch The King’s Cup Regatta. The event coincided with the announcement that The Duke and Duchess will host the new annual sailing event in August on the Isle of Wight as well as go head to head as skippers of individual sailing boats in an eight boat regatta race, to raise awareness and funds for eight of their Patronages. The winning team will be awarded The King’s Cup, a historic trophy first presented by King George V at Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron in 1920. The Duchess’s chosen charities are Action on Addiction, Place2Be, The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, and The Royal Foundation in connection with Her Royal Highness’s Early Years programme. During their visit The Duke and Duchess joined children from Place2Be in trying out sailing simulators and they also unveiled the King’s Cup. Upon their departure they took a moment to greet crowds in an impromptu walkabout.

July 01 , 2019 – ‘Back To Nature’ Garden At Hampton Court Place – The Duchess of Cambridge invited six children from Place2Be Partner School, Hampton Hill Junior to the unveiling of her garden at the Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. During the event, Catherine joined students and patients from her other charities for special outdoor activities, including looking for insects, exploring dens and a treasure hunt. The garden, which features a waterfall, bee-friendly wildflower meadow and a pond, was showcased at the Chelsea Flower Show earlier in the year. The design has been developed further to create additional opportunities for children and families to interact with nature and is double the size of the original. Linda Eversley, Place2Be School Project Manager, who accompanied the six Hampton Hill children, said: “I felt really proud watching our children talking confidently with the princess. It’s something they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

August 08, 2019 – Inaugural King’s Cup Regatta – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kicked off the Inaugural King’s Cup Regatta at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The Royal couple went head to head in the regatta to raise awareness and funds for eight of their charitable causes. The Duchess skippered the boat representing her early years initiative with the Royal Foundation. Catherine’s other represented charities were Action on Addiction, The Anna Freud Centre, and Place2Be. Longstanding Place2Be Ambassador Katie Thistleton was part of the team. The teams took part in two races to determine the overall winners. In the second race, many boats – including the Duchess of Cambridge’s – were disqualified for not going back and starting the race at the line. Katie and Place2Be came third in the second race. Prince William gets the bragging rights as Bear Grylls accepted the trophy on behalf Prince William’s charity Tusk. The Duchess of Cambridge was awarded the wooden spoon for coming in last.

September 10, 2019 – ‘Back To Nature’ Garden At Wisley – The Duchess of Cambridge, opened her Back to Nature play area at The Royal Horticultural Society’s Garden Wisley in Woking, Surrey. Inspired by The Duchess’ previous Back to Nature gardens, which Her Royal Highness co-designed, this garden included a hollow log from her RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden, and the wildflower meadow and rolling hill showcased at Hampton Court. The new play garden featured two connected tree houses and slides. Ten children, aged 7 to 9, from Place2Be’s partner school Barlby Primary, were invited to try out the garden. The children enjoyed a range of outdoor activities including maypole dancing, a coconut shy, planting seeds, balloon modelling, learning circus skills and meeting animals in a petting farm. Angelica McMillan, Place2Be’s Westway Cluster Manager, who accompanied the children to Wisley said: “The children from Barlby School enjoyed the gardens and all the activities that were so thoughtfully prepared. They were especially excited to be invited to meet with the Duchess of Cambridge and TV chef Mary Berry, who shared some lovely cakes with them. The Duchess invited the children to enjoy the ‘Back to Nature Gardens’ to reinforce the importance of connectedness with nature and its impact on their emotional wellbeing.”

February 04, 2020 – The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge Visit South Wales – On an away day to South Wales The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took on a variety of engagements highlighting local organisations and businesses. One of their stops included a visit to the Bulldogs Development Centre, a gym which uses the power of boxing to involve, educate and inspire young people and their families. They hope to create ‘Champions in the Ring and in the Community’. The visit comes during Children’s Mental Health Week, which is run by Place2be.

December 08, 2023 – “Together At Christmas” Carol Service – Staff members were joined by St. John’s CE Primary School as they were invited to attend the magical carol service at Westminster Abbey. Individuals were nominated in recognition of their outstanding work in caring for children, young people and families. The service was attended by inspiring individuals and families from all corners of the UK, including midwives, health visitors, early years practitioners, nursery teachers, community volunteers, and members of The Royal Family. The evening was filled with beautiful carols, musical performances, and poignant readings, making it an extraordinary and festive occasion. The service airs on Christmas Eve as part of a special program on ITV1 and ITVX.