'Active Visit' For Prince Edward To NI

There was a royal VIP in NI today with The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward undertaking three engagements during Thursday.

He was on the Shankill Road to visit The Spectrum Centre to celebrate the success of the Belfast Activity Centre (BAC) with their 'Youth Building Programmes'.

The Spectrum Centre opened in 2001 and was a community project realised by the Greater Shankill Partnership.

His Royal Highness (pictured) was greeted by Dame Mary Peters DBE Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast and was accompanied by Julie Andrews, General Manager, Spectrum Centre to meet representatives of the Greater Shankill Partnership Board, local community representatives, FASA/Safe Together suicide awareness group, funders and supporters, and Sure Start/Early Years representatives.

Ealier, he presented 13 inmates at Hydebank Young Offenders' Centre in Belfast with Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award certificates.

All 13 of the award winners voluntarily undertook and successfully completed the awards programme of self-development. They are now part of a group of over four million young people who have been helped by the organisation since it began in 1956.

His Royal Highness was greeted by David Lindsay, Lord-Lieutenant of County Down and went on to meet David Ford Minister of the Department of Justice, Colin McConnell Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service and Governor Gary Alcock, Hydebank Young Offenders' Centre.

Before the award ceremony His Royal Highness accompanied by Governor Alcock visited residential accommodation within the centre and took the opportunity to meet a number of inmates and prison staff.

Earlier today, HRH visited Belfast Activity Centre (BAC), Barnet Demesne in south Belfast joining the celebrations of the organisation's 21st birthday.

During lunch HRH had the opportunity to meet around 70 guests and later met Pamela Ballantine, a BAC Committee Member and television presenter, who invited HRH to view a montage of newsreel footage about BAC over the past 21 years.

Earlier, he heard that BAC began as a voluntary initiative in 1988 to support young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) through a BAC Open Award programme. It became an independent Northern Ireland charity in 1990 and currently works with 20,000 young people every year.

The Prince was greeted by the Joan Christie OBE, Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim and went on to meet Glen Couser and Hannah Hamill BAC participants who accompanied HRH throughout the engagement.

In the Adventure Learning Park and cave chamber HRH met a group of visually impaired young people from the Royal National Institute for the Blind preparing for a cycling trip to Holland as part of their DofE Gold Award.

Nearby at the high ropes area HRH watched young people from Glenveagh Special School taking part in a number of activities as part of their DofE Bronze Award before meeting a number of Award participants and their parents.

HRH went on to meet a group of young people from Glenveagh Special Needs School who are undertaking their DofE Silver and Gold Awards and watched a simulated parachute jump by Glen Couser.

Moving inside The Earl met a number of staff representing BAC's projects including Young Carers, Lone Parents, Young Enterprise, Change your Future and other Open Awards.

He was told how BAC core projects engage socially and economically disadvantaged young people.

These include programmes to support disability access and participation, young carers, lone parents and their families and young homeless.

In the Training Room, His Royal Highness had the opportunity to join BAC senior staff for discussions around BAC's 2021 vision and master plan for the restoration of the recently acquired Ardaluin House Outdoor Activity centre in Newcastle, Co Down.

Later in the Conference Suite HRH listened to a few words from BAC Chairman, Tom Scott and the announcement of the formation of the Charitable Limited Company and a new team of BAC Ambassadors.

His Royal Highness last visited Northern Ireland in June 2010 with his wife, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex to be guests of honour at a garden party in Hillsborough Castle that was being hosted by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

See: Edward Is Royal Guest At Hillsborough

(BMcC/GK)