The Princess of Wales spent an away day in northern England on Tuesday to meet with organisations that focus on creativity, community and nature as ways to help those living with trauma and poor mental health.
Catherine first dropped in at Family Action’s Children’s Trauma Therapy Service in Bradford to learn more about their creative therapy sessions to help young people process traumatic experiences.
According to Family Action, their creative therapies use “creative interventions such as art, movement and creative therapy to help children/young people manage and process their trauma, incorporating evidence-based approaches.”
The Princess of Wales met with some of the therapists on staff to learn more about the processes and then sat in on a creative therapy session with parents and their children to see how play helps them process trauma.
Catherine showed a young girl, who was building a box of wishes, how holding a seashell up to her ear was a way to imagine hearing the waves. “Sometimes you can hear the waves. If you listen very quietly. That’s what I like doing with shells. If you close your eyes you can sometimes imagine you’re by the beach.”
To a little boy who said he liked playing with musical instruments he could smack, Catherine replied, “That’s a fantastic way to express yourself and also manage really difficult and hard feelings that are sometimes harder to express with words.”
Family Action posted on their social media accounts: “We know from our work supporting families the lifelong impact trauma can have on children but we’re committed to supporting whole families to understand and move past their experiences and break the often generational cycle.
“We are incredibly grateful to Her Royal Highness for taking the time to visit the service, and for her continued support of Family Action and our work with children and families.”
Catherine became royal patron of Family Action in 2019.
Next, the Princess of Wales popped in to visit the Wakefield Trinity Rugby League in her role as royal patron of the Rugby Football League. There, she learned how the Wakefield Trinity’s Community Foundation supports the community and those who experience social isolation.
After meeting with Rugby Football League and Wakefield Trinity Foundation officials, Catherine took part in a session of the In Touch programme, which helps elderly people find activities at the club to combat social isolation.
The future queen also met with young people involved in the Inspiring Futures programme, which helps young people at risk of anti-social behaviour work as a team and learn goal setting practices.
Catherine lastly joined girls for a skills session on the pitch supported by the Wakefield’s Champion Schools competition.
“The Princess was really interested in hearing about the positive social impact of the sport,” said Marc Lovering, the Director of Performance and Development, in a media release shared on the Rugby Football League’s website.
“The programmes showcased today by Wakefield Trinity Foundation address some of the challenges our communities face including social isolation, anti-social behaviour and youth crime. It was brilliant to see her engaging with all the different people involved with the Foundation.”
Catherine was overheard talking to Wakefield Trinity Rugby leaders that she loves how embedded the league game is in community life, and how grassroots and interactive it is. She added that it was great for “getting youngsters involved” and for connecting to the community.
“They’re absolute gold dust really,” she said, “and I’m so proud to help support the league across the country.”
The Princess of Wales’s final engagement of the day was a walk in the Peak District with the Mind Over Mountains charity, which supports mental health programming through therapeutic outdoor activities.
It started to rain just before the group set out, and the future queen chirped: “Nothing is going to stop us.”
Mind Over Mountains combines outdoor experiences with wellbeing coaches and counsellors to help participants with their mental health needs. After their walk, Catherine’s group paused to reflect and were each asked to choose three words to describe the activity. The royal chose “Mind, body and soul.”
On social media, Mind Over Mountains wrote about Catherine’s visit, “Today we stepped out onto the hills with The Princess of Wales to enjoy a truly special day—walking in nature, enjoying the stunning scenery, with the support of our Mind Over Mountains walk guides and qualified wellbeing practitioners.
“Spending time outdoors together was a wonderful reminder of how deeply nature supports our wellbeing. The Princess’ passion brought moments of joy and true meaning to the walk—highlighting just how powerful simple moments outside can be, no matter our path in life.”
The Princess of Wales has been vocal about the healing power of nature, especially with her own health struggles since her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.
In a video released by Kensington Palace to mark her 44th birthday earlier this month, Catherine narrates how “nature has helped me heal” and how winter, in particular, “has a way of bringing us stillness, patience and quiet consideration.”
