The King, the Queen, and a hospice elephant: Weldmar joins a memorable royal visit to Blandford

There was excitement in Blandford last week as the King and Queen visited the town – and Weldmar Hospicecare had the honour of being there to greet them.

King Charles III, who is Weldmar’s Patron, and Queen Camilla visited the Hall and Woodhouse Brewery to mark it’s 250th anniversary, and then met a number of Dorset charities in the town’s recently restored Corn Exchange.

Selina Heaton, who leads the team at the North Dorset hub of Weldmar’s Specialist Hospice at Home service, was joined for the royal visit by the charity’s Deputy Chief Executive, Matt Smith, and another very special guest – a miniature replica of the Memory Elephant from the charity’s Stampede by the Sea art trail.

Painted by local artist Katie Gillingham, the elephant features words associated with hospice care, in colours that represent the uniforms of staff based at the hospice in Dorchester.

“It was an honour to meet Their Majesties,” says Selina, “and update them on the valuable work that we are doing for our communities across Dorset, including allowing people to stay at home if that’s where they wish to be. It was humbling to be amongst like-minded local charities and organisations, and represent the charity of which King Charles continues to be Patron.”

Thousands of people lined the streets of Blandford to catch a glimpse of the King and Queen, and the Weldmar Hospicecare charity shop in the Market Place decorated their window in red, white and blue to mark the occasion.

Matt added, “We are extremely grateful that The King continues to be Patron of Weldmar Hospicecare, a position that he has held since 1994. We were delighted to present an exclusive mini replica of the special Memory Elephant that sits proudly in the hospice gardens, and share with Their Majesties the success of our public art trail that we held last year, Stampede by the Sea. They were particularly interested in our education around addressing ‘the elephant in the room’, and how we support families through bereavement, including children who are impacted by their loved ones illness. The King sent his warmest wishes to everyone at Weldmar Hospicecare, a place that he so proudly calls ‘his hospice’.”

The Royal couple were accompanied by Michael Dooley, Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, who had personally selected the attending charities.