Princess Anne paid a royal visit to Cambridgeshire

As the Royal College of Midwives Patron, Princess Anne paid a visit to Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s Maternity Unit.

There, she toured the unit and met midwives, maternity support workers, volunteers and regional colleagues.

Princess Anne meeting staff at the maternity unit. (Image: NWAFT)

She met Chaplain Roger Creswell, who is the oldest serving member of staff at the maternity unit, and congratulated him on his recent 80th birthday.

Six-year-old Felicity Cooper, daughter of Acute Service Lead Midwife Charlie Leggot, presented The Princess Royal with a spring posy.

The Princess Royal unveiled a special plaque to commemorate her visit, which will be displayed in the maternity unit.

Director of Midwifery at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Melissa Davis, said: “It was a great honour to welcome The Princess Royal to our hospital and a wonderful experience to share with our maternity colleagues.

“Her Royal Highness has been extremely generous with her time, talking to staff, finding out about the maternity services the Trust provides, and understanding the important role it plays in supporting local families through their maternity journey.”

Princess Anne meeting new families at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. (Image: NWAFT)

The Princess Royal’s visit comes not longer after the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust received their Care Quality Commission review, which was graded as ‘good’.

The Trust’s Chief Nurse, Jo Bennis, said: “I am extremely proud of the recent ‘good’ CQC rating our maternity services achieved, and it has been wonderful to showcase these improvements and seek a seal of royal approval for the fantastic work our maternity and obstetric teams have achieved.”

Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s maternity unit now has the royal seal of approval. (Image: NWAFT)

Princess Anne also attended the official opening of the National House Building Council’s bricklaying apprenticeship training hub in Impington.

Her busy day in Cambridgeshire didn’t stop there, as she also visited the Illumina HQ in Cambridge to celebrate World DNA Day.

Illumina develop DNA sequencing, and the company hosted 150 school children to take part in genomic-based activities, including one with strawberries.

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