Army welfare centre revamp given Royal seal of approval

Published on Tuesday 15 December 2009 08:36

THERE were cold hands and warm smiles when The Princess Royal was presented with a bouquet of flowers at the opening of a refurbished army welfare centre near Dreghorn Barracks.

Four-year-old Lily Wearmouth, whose dad Major Graeme Wearmouth is currently commanding troops in Afghanistan, presented the flowers to the Princess during an official visit yesterday.

"Her fingers were so frozen she could hardly hand the flowers over," said mum Ruth after the visit.

Major Wearmouth and others from the Royal Scots Borderers (1 Scots) are due to be away for Christmas, making the royal visit a treat for those left behind.

As the children made the most of a plentiful supply of new toys inside the centre, their mothers chatted to the Princess about their experiences of waiting for loved ones to return from overseas duty. She also heard about the work of the welfare centre, which provides emotional and practical support for those on the home front.

Several of the families also took the chance to give their backing to the Evening News' Treat our Troops – and their kids campaign, which is gathering gifts for servicemen on tour and Christmas presents for their children.

Mrs Wearmouth said our campaign was ideal to boost morale. She said: "It makes a huge difference. One of the highlights of their week is if the mail does come in. Sometimes it's every two weeks, it just depends whether they can get the roads cleared or get the helicopters in. I think, especially at Christmas, it's making a real difference."

Also chatting with the Princess during her visit were Anne and John Blair, whose son, 22-year-old Private Ian Blair, was injured on duty in Afghanistan four weeks ago. After a spell at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Selly Oak, Birmingham, Private Blair is now recovering at home in Prestonpans.

Mr Blair, 55, said his son had shattered his hip falling from a high wall in full body armour while on patrol, but was making a good recovery.

"The Princess was very nice, she took quite a bit of interest in what had happened," he said.

Mr Blair said he had been following the Evening News campaign because his son had emphasised how important it was for troops to receive packages like those we are putting together with charity Parcels4Troops.

He added: "He says anything from back home, just little things, really builds morale. It's a great boost to these guys."

The Princess' visit to the welfare centre came after she visited the barracks in Redford Road. She tried out a metal detector used for finding improvised explosive devices and inspected two new armoured vehicles, the Jackal and Husky.

Among the troops she met was Corporal Donald Nicolson, 34, who lives close to the barracks with wife Gillian and daughters Iona, eight, and Leah, five. He is likely to be deployed to Afghanistan in March, and was also keen to give his backing to the Evening News campaign. He said: "It's a very good idea, I've got a few friends out there at the moment and they're really well chuffed with this.

"They're getting stuff delivered to them before Christmas and it's really making a difference."

&#149 THE families of 1 Scots soldiers serving in Afghanistan are to benefit from the opening of a new welfare house next to Dreghorn Barracks.

The drop-in centre will provide a welcoming place for families to meet for mutual support and to access expert advice.

The house is almost complete but the welfare team are looking for help to create a small safe play area for young children.

Anyone who can assist should contact Catherine Salmond on 0131-620 8748.