Forth Valley Sensory Centre today welcomed HRH The Princess Royal, who officially opened the new Kitchen Garden at the Centre.
Designed to be easily accessible, the Kitchen Garden has been developed as a community resource and will be helping local schoolchildren learn about sensory loss and healthy eating through a ‘Flavour School’ initiative. Forth Environment Trust, Central Scotland Green Network and Falkirk Council funded the Kitchen Garden and Flavour School project, which has been delivered by the Centre and Forth Environment Link.
As part of the visit, HRH The Princess Royal received a tour of the Centre which is unique in Scotland as a place where people with sensory loss, their friends, family and carers can come to get help, support and advice. Key to this are the Centre’s many groups and classes, which are designed to build confidence, encourage new skills and provide great social occasions. HRH was able to meet members of the braille group at the Centre during her stay as well as a number of other Centre Users, of all ages.
Forth Valley Sensory Centre Manager, Jacquie Winning said: “The braille group is one of our oldest groups and survives in the face of so much technology. It is a fantastic example of how people with sensory loss want to continue to enjoy those things many of us take for granted, such as reading, even if it means learning an entirely new way to do so.
“It was an honour to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to Falkirk and we were delighted she was able to officially unveil a plaque to commemorate the visit and the official opening of our Kitchen Garden. We hope this will become a fantastic community resource, introducing lots of people to gardening and fresh food as well as helping educate children about different senses and how to eat healthily. Produce will also be used in our social enterprise café and cooking classes for people with sight loss, literally food will travel just a few metres from garden to fork.”
During the visit, HRH was introduced to representatives from some of the Centre partners, including; NHS Forth Valley, Falkirk Council, RNIB Scotland, Action on Hearing Loss Scotland, Scottish War Blinded and Sign Language Interactions. The visit also included the Sensory Garden, Sensory Room, NHS Forth Valley Audiology Department and the Centre’s Café, including a meeting with Centre Cook, David who happens to be blind.
A garden themed gift, a bird feeder made from recycled cups, courtesy of Revive Falkirk was handed to HRH by deaf girls Maisie and Nova Sneddon, who also passed on a hand brailed thank you card.
Former Falkirk Provost and Chair of the Forth Valley Sensory Centre Board, Pat Reid, gave the final word of thanks to HRH The Princess Royal. Mr Reid said:
“The Centre is a place of safety and security, offering vital services to vulnerable people of all ages. On behalf of all the Centre Users, the board, staff and volunteers, I would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to HRH The Princess Royal for taking the time to visit our Centre and find out more about our work and the impact it has on the local community.”
HRH The Princess Royal visit 
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For more information contact:
Forth Valley Sensory Centre
Martin Allen
Publicity Manager, Forth Valley Sensory Centre, Redbrae Road, Camelon, Falkirk, FK1 4DD.
Email: martinallen@forthvalleysensorycentre.org Tel: 01324 590 888 @FVSensoryCentre
About Forth Valley Sensory Centre
Forth Valley Sensory Centre has been supporting people in Forth Valley with sensory impairment and their families for over 10 years. The Centre acts as a Community Hub, offering support, advice, practical help and social opportunities.
The overall objective of Forth Valley Sensory Centre, is to help people who have a sensory impairment live as independently as possible. The Centre is owned and run by Forth Valley Sensory Centre Trust, which is a partnership of RNIB Scotland, Action on Hearing Loss, NHS Forth Valley, Falkirk Council and Stirling Council
The Forth Valley Sensory Centre Trust is a registered charity (SC034267) and a company limited by guarantee.
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