Cumberland Lodge has received a gift of £2,500 from The Patron's Fund, to help launch its new programme of work with schools.
The Patron's Fund was established to support and acknowledge the work of the charitable organisations for which Her Majesty The Queen is Patron. Around £750,000 will be shared between nearly 300 charities and organisations across the Commonwealth, to help mark the occasion of Her Majesty's 90th birthday.
Our work with schools
The generous gift will be used to support new workshops that promote social and civic awareness amongst school children in Key Stages 1 and 2 at local schools through a series of guided workshops, led by members of our Education Department. The workshops are designed to equip children with the skills and confidence to become active participants in their communities.
Some of the workshops will draw on our recently discovered connection with Roald Dahl’s The BFG, using the concept of 'bottles of dreams' to explore the causes of social divisions and ideas for building more peaceful, open and inclusive societies.
Academic research published in 2016 suggests that the “special house” in Windsor Great Park that the Queen gifts to the BFG at the end of the story refers to Cumberland Lodge, which was also the name of Dahl’s childhood home in Cardiff. Dahl had spoken to a group of visiting American students at the Lodge just a few years before The BFG was published.
Community outreach
As part of our community outreach, an exhibition about our connections with The BFG will also be installed at the Lodge, with examples of work from the children's workshops. Family open days will be held throughout the year to bring members of the local community to the Lodge to find out more about our educational work and to empower families to discuss social and ethical issues, and encourage a wider civic engagement.
'Valuable work'
The Patron's Fund received generous donations from a range of supporters, including individual donors, businesses, schools, community groups and the proceeds from The Patron's Lunch, which took place on The Mall in June 2016.
Sir Stuart Etherington, Chair of the Board of Trustees for The Patron's Fund, said: "The Patron's Fund is very pleased to be able to support Cumberland Lodge with its valuable work. Cumberland Lodge is amongst hundreds of organisations for which The Queen acts as a Patron, which between them make a difference to causes and communities in the UK and throughout the Commonwealth."
For further information about The Patron's Fund (registered charity 1164171) email info@thepatronsfund.org.uk.