The Duchess of Edinburgh made some furry friends in the New Forest after opening a new climate centre at Beaulieu.
In what was her final ever engagement as the Countess of Wessex before The King conferred Prince Edward the Dukedom of Edinburgh, Her Royal Highness met some furry friends.
The Fort Climate Centre is committed to raising awareness of climate change and its potentially catastrophic effects, which are only recently being identified and acknowledged..
The Fort Foundation is named in memory of founder Edward Fort, who donated the building to the Countryside Education Trust so that it can continue to education people on the effects of climate change.
The centre is located within the New Forest National Park. The Duchess – who was spotted cuddling a rabbit – met with members of the Countryside Education Trust during her visit, as well as students from Beaulieu School, who showed the royal climate-themed activities.
The Countryside Trust’s chief executive, Jane Cooper, said: “We are looking forward to helping people of all ages to learn more about the challenges of climate change and empowering them to act. We believe that this building will provide an inclusive base for climate education in the New Forest and beyond.”
The Fort Climate Centre is also funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Its location in the New Forest National Park allows the trust to develop climate courses for people of all ages.
Patrick Heneghan, Deputy Chair of the New Forest National Park Authority, said: “The New Forest National Park is internationally important for nature and we’re already seeing some of the impacts of climate change here. It’s vital that we increase people’s understanding about these issues and how we can all make a difference.
“The Fort Climate Centre is playing an important in both raising awareness and directly engaging people, particularly those from the younger generation, as well as helping us develop solutions in the Forest.”
