Royal visit to Southall

On 10 February, A Rocha International’s Director of Theology, Rev’d Dave Bookless, along with A Rocha UK’s Kailean Khongsai and local volunteers, had the opportunity to tell HRH The Prince of Wales about A Rocha UK’s work in urban Southall. Dave says, ‘I explained how we helped to transform 36 hectares of waste ground at Minet into a much-loved country park, rich in wild flowers and wetland wildlife, and how A Rocha UK is now working to create a community garden, orchard and nature reserve at Wolf Fields, a smaller site which was once a brick works. It is thought that some of the bricks from Wolf Fields now form part of the outer wall of Buckingham Palace! Since then, Wolf Fields had become a place for rubbish dumping, drug taking and substance abuse, but it is fast becoming a wildlife haven that connects people and nature.’

The Prince of Wales was visiting St John’s Church, at the heart of one of London’s most multicultural communities, to celebrate social cohesion in an area once infamous for its racial tension. More

Dave showing HRH a map of Wolf Fields (Photos: Selwyn Stephen)