A Visit To Buckingham Palace

Nobody at The Nightingale ever imagined that knitting blankets could lead to a handshake with King Charles at Buckingham Palace but that’s exactly what happened.

Over the last 5 years, our Stitches of Support community project has made waves locally, nationally and internationally. People from all over the UK (and even Hong Kong!) have sent in squares of various designs, colours and sizes to be sewn together into blankets by our Knit and Natter group, in order to give out free blankets to people struggling with cancer.

In this time we have received over 15,000 squares and handed out over 800 blankets to The Nightingale clients and to people at local hospital chemo wards.

Last year, when The King announced his own cancer diagnosis, our Knit and Natter group knew exactly what to do.

Make The King a Stitches of Support blanket.

Getting the blanket into royal hands was no easy mission. After many emails, letters and phone calls it looked like the blanket could soon be calling Buckingham Palace their new home.

Then came a completely unexpected letter:

The Nightingale was invited to a Community-Based Cancer Support Reception hosted by Their Majesties The King and The Queen at Buckingham Palace!

The reception was held to celebrate organisations raising awareness of cancer and supporting people living with cancer.  

So, in April, Fiona (Head of Services), Mel (Finance Assistant), Jane and Kerry (two instrumental Stitches of Support volunteers) all donned their finest outfits and set off to meet The King and The Queen.

Royal guards, red carpets, trays of champagne, canapes galore and the Change + Check choirs all awaited them. The visit was awash with grandeur and pageantry.

Fiona, Mel, Jane and Kerry have all expressed how surreal it was to have met and shaken hands with The King.

Mel even got to meet him twice!

From all of them there was an overwhelming sense of honour, representing the charity, the Knit and Natter group and every single person who knitted a square for Stitches of Support.

It was just a few moments but it is a once in a lifetime experience they will never forget.

Later, sitting together in a reflective moment, Kerry turned to Jane and said,

“Who knew that getting cancer and knitting blankets would get you to Buckingham Palace?”

They’re still pinching themselves. And, of course, still knitting.

Read the full story of Stitches of Support and how The Nightingale was given this royal invitation below.

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