KATE Middleton beamed today as she arrived to meet young patients at a new children’s hospice.
The Duchess of Cambridge will help officially open the building in Norfolk this afternoon.
And the 37-year-old, who is the Royal Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, appeared eager to meet with staff and patients at The Nook in Framingham Earl, around six miles south of Norwich.
The mum-of-three looked stunning for the visit, wearing a purple peplum dress paired with black tights.
She will unveil a plaque to officially open The Nook in Framingham Earl, around six miles south of Norwich.
Kate is the Royal Patron of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH), which cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and supports their families.
The charity said it had outgrown its former Norfolk hospice site in Quidenham.
Its new hospice was built following a five-year public appeal to raise 10 million and it welcomed its first child to receive care in September this year.
Kate attended the launch of The Nook appeal in 2014 and also visited the charity’s previous Norfolk hospice in Quidenham in 2017 for an update on the appeal.
The new building, which contains more areas for clinical care and dedicated therapy rooms, will allow EACH to meet the increased demand for its service and the ever-changing and more complex needs of those it cares for.
The duchess will tour the facilities, including the hospice’s sensory room, and take part in arts and crafts activities with children.
She will then join a reception before making a short speech and unveiling a plaque to mark the official opening of The Nook.
Tracy Rennie, acting chief executive of EACH, said: “We’re obviously very much looking forward to welcoming Her Royal Highness and are grateful for her support as our Royal Patron.”
She added: “I was fortunate enough to witness the joy and excitement of the first child through the doors here for care as they explored the soft play room, tried out the furniture and found their bedroom, with personalised tray of favourite toys and activities, and it was incredibly moving.
“I’ve no doubt the way we deliver care in future will take great steps forward and give us an opportunity to try out doing things differently.”
The charity’s care service includes specialist nursing care, short breaks, therapies and counselling and volunteer services in the family home.
Kate has been a patron of EACH since 2012 and she officially opened its hospice in Ipswich called The Treehouse that year.
