17 November 2023 , 23:00
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Prince William has kept a promise he made during a Buckingham Palace garden party earlier this year - that he would visit Moss Side, an inner-city area of Manchester, and meet locals there.
The Prince of Wales met Wendy Simms, a member of the local Rastafarian community, in May while she was visiting the Palace in recognition of her work founding and running local food bank "Keeping it real 24/7". During the summer event, William approached Wendy in the crowd "out of the blue" and while talking, she invited him to visit the Moss Side Millennium Powerhouse in Manchester.
The 57-year-old, who attended the event with her son Jessiah McKenzie, 22, said: "He walked over to me and shook my hand. I said hi and he shook someone else's hand then came back and had a full-blown conversation with me.
William during a visit of the Millennium Powerhouse in Manchester (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)"I was like wow. He just picked me out of the crowd, it was not a planned conversation. Nobody told me he was going to come and talk to me. He asked if it was the first time I had been to Buckingham Palace and I said 'yeah'.
"He was really engaging with me and was concerned with the issues I told him about. I said 'how about you come and see us? Come to Moss Side'. I invited him to the Rastafarian HQ and he said he would really like to come."
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The Prince of Wales speaks with a member of the community (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)And this week, that promise came true as William was reunited with Wendy in Manchester. He told her: "It's been a while Wendy, I told you I'd come and see you." The Manchester Evening News reports that the visit also showed how far Moss Side has come, with the area maligned as a centre of gang activity during the 1990s, according to staff at the centre. Ms Simm said: "I think a lot of people did not expect him to come.
"It’s had a great impact on our community. Moss Side has been known as a bad place. If he can come, why can’t anyone?" Ms Simms added the trip will "always be a day for us to remember". That sentiment was shared by Powerhouse CEO Lisa Samuels, who said: “It was a massive opportunity to shine a light on Moss Side and the people in our community. The children loved having him here. I think he is so real, he got on his knees to talk to the kids at their level."
William kept his promise to visit Moss Side (Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)During his visit, William spoke to young people and families impacted by youth violence. Appearing relaxed throughout his trip, the Prince was presented with a customised T-shirt bearing his name and logo of Keeping It Real 24/7, having also spoken to members of the Rastafarian church.
He also brought with him a donation to the food bank, a basket of food including okra, yams and dragon fruit. William also donned an apron and rolled up his sleeves to help out in the community kitchen, cooking with Morris Hall, from St Andrew, Jamaica.
William spoke to children during his visit to Manchester (Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)He said: "He’s a nice boy to come here. I’m from Jamaica and I never thought I’d ever live to see any member of the royal family this close." William also joined forces with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to support a project tackling youth violence with £100,000 of funding. It ill be used to create an employment, skills and training programme for young people at risk of violence, a first for the alliance, a community-led initiative combating the underlying causes of youth violence with targeted mentoring and activities.
Describing the benefits of the project, Mr Burnham said: "The city is succeeding in many ways. The community is still strong, what we haven't got yet are the paths for people so that they can see the opportunities out there and then get that support. Be it educational support, or personal support to make their way towards taking up those opportunities. And for me, this is absolutely about the next chapter of Greater Manchester."