‘Grafter’ Princess Royal visits Dorset in support of local organisations

The Princess Royal has earned praise for her hard work while visiting several local organisations in Dorset – including a horse riding school, the new Dorset Police headquarters, and a boat building academy.

Anne toured a British Horse Society (BHS) club in Bovington on Monday accompanied by the organisation’s president, Doc Martin star Martin Clunes.

The actor spoke of the club’s endeavour to promote interactions with horses for people of all backgrounds, adding: “What this programme is doing over and over again is helping kids who have fallen through the net.”

Anne enjoyed riding demonstrations before meeting students of the Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) Saddle Club – including Olivia, who said: “It was very special.

“She came up and said hello, I was very excited and nervous.”

Another student, Mia, who also took part in the demonstration, said: “I felt a mixture of everything when meeting her, it was exciting, and I was also nervous.”

The pair were there with their coach Lisa Bonfield who has worked at the BHS for two years.

She said: “Princess Anne was very down to earth.

“You could tell she was very interested in the people she was talking with, and this is something close to her.

“My students were really great; I am so proud of them.

“They are in their comfort zone with the horses.”

Later in the visit, the Princess Royal unveiled a plaque and handed out certificates to some of the students.

Among these students were Layla Steirn, 15, from Weymouth and Zara Bonfield, 14, from Corfe Castle.

The pair said: “It was amazing, she is very normal which I liked.

“It was very easy to speak to her as she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to horses.”

James Hicks, chief executive of the British Horse Foundation, said: “To have the work that the British Horse Foundation does recognised is amazing and everybody is chuffed to bits.

“Her Royal Highness only asks a question that she wants to know the answer to.

“She is a great source of wisdom. She’s a grafter.”

The princess also visited the new Dorset Police Headquarters in Winfrith to formally open the three-storey sustainable building and its memorial garden.

She met local dignitaries and the teams responsible for delivering the building on time, as well as award-winning officers, staff and volunteers from various police departments.

Chief Constable Amanda Pearson said: “It was an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to Dorset Police Headquarters for the official opening of our new flagship building.

“This was an important historical moment for the force, and I was delighted to be able to introduce her to the fantastic team who made it happen, alongside our hardworking officers, staff and volunteers.

“It’s of upmost importance that our officers, staff and volunteers have a working environment that supports them with their contribution to keeping people safe.

“Our former HQ building had served us well for 60 years but had well and truly outlived its original temporary purpose.

“We are proud of our new headquarters, which will provide value for money and long-term savings, enabling us to invest in frontline policing to tackle the things that matter most to our communities.

“Sustainability was at the forefront of its design – we now generate an amount of our own electricity by the use of solar panels and our water usage is much reduced.”

At the end of the visit, senior police cadet Amber Loring-Arnott, 18, presented the Princess Royal with a posey.

“It was exciting and a little bit nerve-wracking,” Ms Loring-Arnott said.

“The moment that Princess Anne walked through the door it all became real.”

Amber was given this honour after she was awarded Police Cadet of the Year.

Speaking of why she received the award, Amber explained that it was because she has been “kind and welcoming to new starters” and played a key role in reporting a knife incident at the Christchurch railway station.

David Sidwick, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner added: “It is a great privilege to see the official opening of the new Dorset Police Headquarters by The Princess Royal.

“Our communities have repeatedly expressed that they want to feel more connected to their police and see increased visibility.

“Improvements to our estate, the ongoing recruitment of extra officers, successful roll-out of community contact points and two mobile police stations are enabling us to better meet those expectations.”

Anne’s final visit was to the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, where she met current and former students and learned about the work that goes into preserving and promoting the heritage craft.

The princess, who is Patron of The Transport Trust, also unveiled a Red Wheel plaque, awarded by the Trust in recognition of the academy’s important role in Britain’s transport and industrial heritage.

Anne was accompanied on the visit by the current Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, Professor Michael Dooley.

Other dignitaries included West Dorset MP Edward Morello, members of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights and Women in Boat Building, and president of The Transport Trust Lady Judy McAlpine.

The princess also enjoyed a demonstration of steam bending by BBA assistant tutor Samuel Robinson and current boat building students Hannah Blake and Eleanor Snape.

Steam bending is a traditional woodworking technique that involves using steam to soften wood in order to bend it to a desired shape.

It is used extensively in wooden boat building – most importantly in forming the ribs of boats.