The day the King came to Wythenshawe
King Charles visited Wythenshawe in January and called into Marcus Rashford's old youth club in Northern Moor.
The visit to Norbrook Youth Club, hosted by Norbrook chairman Gavin Evans, and Adam Breen from Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG), saw King Charles take part in a brief, impromptu kickabout with children from St Peter’s Primary School.
The King and Queen Consort spent about an hour at Norbrook, where they met with young people from the NatWest Thrive Programme, supported by the Manchester United player Marcus Rashford, to hear how the programme supports and guides young people in developing a positive mindset around money, as well as encouraging them to reach their full potential.
The Royal party were accompanied by England manager and Prince’s Trust ambassador Gareth Southgate and were able to hear directly from local young people who’ve been supported by the Trust, as well as leaning about the youth club’s efforts to encourage a love of reading by making books more accessible. The guests also saw the formal unveiling of a library donated to the centre by the Marcus Rashford Book Club, in partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Adam Breen, Operations Lead in WCHG’s Youth team, said: “It was a genuine pleasure to meet the King and the Queen Consort and to have the opportunity and introduce them so some of the marvellous young people we work with at Norbrook, along with Curtis Berry, one of our Caseworkers.
“Curtis has been working with Alisia and Paddy as part of the NatWest Thrive programme and it was wonderful for us to be able to tell the King all about their success. We were also able to introduce them to Eva and Mia, two of our youth club regulars, and to let the King and the Queen Consort know all about how the club fosters health and wellbeing through a wide range of activities that allows young people to develop, have fun and make friends.”
Norbrook Youth Club was established more than 60 years ago and offers a safe and friendly environment for young people from age six to 18 to enjoy free and diverse weekly activity sessions. The WCHG Youth Involvement team is a dedicated team of youth workers providing support and services to the young people of Wythenshawe.
