Princess Anne visits the Building Crafts College – February 2013
HRH Princess Anne visited the Company’s Building Crafts College in Stratford, East London on 14th February and met many of the students there. The Princess Royal, who is President of the City and Guilds of London Institute, was given a tour of the College by Principal Len Conway, who said “The College enjoys welcoming all its visitors but Princess Anne’s visit was particularly special. She has great enthusiasm for the work we do here and took time to speak to many of the students individually about their projects and ambitions for the future, which they really appreciated.”
The Princess met students studying a range of crafts and professions, including construction, fine woodwork, joinery, stonemasonry and historic building conservation. Furniture makers-in-residence Mauro Dell’Orco and Steven Cook were also presented to Princess Anne. Steven Cook is a QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) apprentice currently working on the Diamond Jubilee Fenland Black Oak Project to create a 13 metre long masterpiece table later this year.
The College is also supporting Women in Construction and the charity Positive Women so that six female timber craft students will be travelling to Swaziland later in the year to help train Swazi women in woodworking skills.
At the end of her visit Princess Anne unveiled a plaque in European oak created by the College’s carving tutor Mrs Saena Ku to commemorate the visit.
