THE Prince of Wales visited Dorset yesterday, in his first public appearance in more than a year.
His Royal Highness Prince Charles returned to Poundbury yesterday to visit Rainbarrow Farm to see an anaerobic digester plant and officially open BioCarbonics, a green carbon dioxide energy supplier for use by the food and drink and horticultural industry.
The Prince, who usually visits his Poundbury estate twice a year, returned publicly for the first time since December 2019.
During his visit, Prince Charles, who has long championed sustainability, met with board members from J V Energen, a joint venture partnership between the Duchy of Cornwall, local famers and agricultural consultants Active Business Partnership.
He took a tour of Rainbarrow Farm, the UK's first commercial biomethane-to-grid plant which generates enough gas to reach more than 100,000 houses in summer, to see the new BioCarbonics plant and to meet site staff who have been instrumental in the project's success.
Prince Charles also unveiled a plaque to officially open the BioCarbonics joint venture, to the delight of staff.
Nick Finding, board member at J V Energen, said: "It is always a pleasure to see a man with so much vision. We are all about sustainability and we're very proud of what we have achieved.
"It is massive to have the support of The Prince - if we didn't have that then I don't think we would be as proud of what we have done here."
Chris Carson, managing director of BioCarbonics, was thrilled to meet Prince Charles for the first time. He said: "We have been working on this project since 2017 and we have had so much support from the Duchy of Cornwall in terms of financial support as well as support around the concept of what we are doing in making green CO2 and getting it to the user.
"It was a real honour to meet Prince Charles for the first time and inspiring to meet a man that has so much belief in what it is we are doing, so much passion for sustainability, and so much faith that this is the future.
"His support gives me confidence in what we are doing. He has dedicated his life to sustainability and that is our focus here."
Electrical engineer Jamie Oates is from Dorchester and, in his one year working at Rainbarrow Farm, has been impressed with the amount of effort The Prince has put into making the town more sustainable.
He said: "It was a pleasure to meet Prince Charles - he is such an important man.
"Seeing him come here and be really interested in what we are doing makes me appreciate my job so much and gives me an incentive to work harder. I've been working here for just over a year but I live in Dorchester so I have always been aware of his influence.
"It's great being a local person that gets to benefit from the work he has done in the county. A lot of people don't realise the amount of effort he has put in."
Yesterday, the Prince of Wales also visited the the RNLI College, based in Poole, to see where the charity's volunteer crew and lifeguards from around the UK and Ireland are trained.
He met with RNLI chairman Stuart Popham and RNLI chief executive Mark Dowie to learn about the challenges the charity has faced during the pandemic, while still saving 349 lives in 2020.
The Prince of Wales watched a live demonstration by lifeboat trainers and volunteers in the Sea Survival Centre and saw an exercise involving the righting of a capsized inshore lifeboat in a wave tank, with simulated thunder, lightning and darkness.
He was also given a tour of the all-weather lifeboat centre before he paid his respects at a memorial which honours the courage of all lifeboat crew and search and rescue service people lost at sea while endeavouring to save the lives of others.
Stuart said: "The last 14 months have been extremely challenging for all charities and the RNLI is no different. Our committed volunteers have maintained a 24/7 rescue service throughout the pandemic and today was an opportunity for The Prince to personally thank some of them for their dedicated service.
"We are expecting another busy summer as more and more people flock to the UK and Irish coastlines, and His Royal Highness's visit will help raise the profile of our services and how the public can keep themselves safe."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel