Princess Anne Meets Save The Children Artist

Princess Anne has flown into NI today and straight down to business with her first engagement being a visit to RFD Beaufort Limited, in Dunmurry - a well know manufacturer of nautical life saving equipment - but later also meeting a local artist whose works will boost the charity, Save The Children of which HRH is President and later helping to plant Diamond Jubilee trees.

Most recently - in the final engagement of the day - HRH The Princess Royal also attended the official opening of Belfast Metropolitan College, at the Titanic Quarter, Belfast.

Among others, she met a number of groups representing the World Skills Competition Bricklaying Gold Medal Winner, Philip Green; members of the College Governing Body; Employers involved in the College Knowledge Transfer Programme and training clients; the Schools Partnership; Community Partners, including The Prince's Trust, private training providers; and Graduation Special Award Winners.

Earlier in the day, on her first engagement, the royal visitor was greeted in Dunmurry by Joan Christie, the Lord Lieutenant for Co Antrim and Moya Johnston, Managing Director of RFD Beaufort, the Princess - accompanied by Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson - heard that RFD Beaufort Ltd, is part of the Survitec Group of companies and is a global leader in the manufacture of safety and survival products to the marine, defence and aviation industries.

It is currently supplying to some of the world's biggest navies, airlines and largest cruise and shipping operators.

Then, in her role as President of Save the Children, HRH The Princess Royal attended a Save the Children 'Facing North' Art Exhibition at the Ivory Restaurant, Victoria Square, Belfast on the second engagement of the day.

Arriving at the Ivory Restaurant, the Princess was greeted by Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast, Dame Mary Peters and was accompanied by Robert Lamrock, the Chair, Staff and Volunteer Forum of Save the Children.

In the restaurant HRH met over 50 invited guests attending an exhibition by local artist Kenny McKendry who approached Save the Children in 2009 with a proposal to paint well-known people from Northern Ireland and donate 40% of the proceeds of their sale to Save the Children.

The guests included representatives from the Facing North Committee, Corporate Supporters, Save the Children Volunteers and Save the Children Long Service Volunteers.

Later, in the exhibition area, HRH met Kenny McKendry who invited HRH to view the 24 portraits and meet a number of the subjects who posed for their portraits, including local people from the world of sport, politics and the arts.

On her next engagement, she attended the Northern Ireland Launch of the Woodland Trust's Jubilee Woods' Project at Oakfield Glen, Carrickfergus.

Upon arrival HRH was greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mrs Joan Christie OBE, and was accompanied throughout the engagement by Patrick Cregg, Northern Ireland Director Woodland Trust.

With HRH The Princess Royal as Patron, the Jubilee Woods Project will celebrate the 2012 Diamond Jubilee by encouraging millions of people to come together to plant an ambitious six million trees. The project's aim is to create sixty new Diamond Woods, each over 60 acres in size, across the UK - one wood for each year of The Queen's reign.

Land at Whitehead, Co Antrim, made available by Carrickfergus Borough Council, will be the Northern Ireland venue for a Diamond Wood.

Finally - as detailed above - she was on hand for the official opening of Belfast Metropolitan College.

(BMcC)