Latest news with #ParachuteRegiment
Belfast Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Sinn Féin MLA brands erection of flags outside Catholic church an act of ‘sectarian intimidation'
Mr Kearney highlighted the same issue in recent years when a variety of flags, including some "associated with the UDA", Parachute Regiment and local unionist flute bands had 'festooned' the same area. Speaking after flags were erected again in the immediate vicinity of St Comgall's chapel, school and car park at the weekend, the South Antrim MLA said it was another 'deliberate attempt at intimidation, and to foment division' in Antrim town. 'I am angered to see the chapel corner in Antrim once again festooned with flags in the run up to the Twelfth. Erecting flags in this location is both an act of sectarian provocation and deliberately insensitive. It is designed to undermine community relations in the town,' he said. 'It is absolutely intolerable that St Comgall's Chapel Corner continues to be targeted in this way. No place of worship anywhere should be subjected to such disrespect or sectarian intimidation. "This has always been an integrated residential area of the town. It is recognised as a shared community space. Those responsible for erecting these flags should be ashamed of themselves. The campaign of intimidation needs to end. 'Shared residential, retail, recreational areas and workplaces must be respected, and kept free from sectarian threat or harassment. 'All flags in the vicinity of St Comgall's Chapel Corner should be removed immediately. This location should be kept free from the erection of any and all flags and emblems. 'The attempts by those attempting to foment community division must be rejected. There is a clear obligation on all political, civic leaders and public agencies to promote and protect good community relations and to uphold the law. That extends to the removal of these flags.'
Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Kate's surprise under-the-radar visit after brave cancer admission
Just hours after delighting staff and patients with a visit to Colchester Hospital to discuss her cancer journey, the Princess of Wales made another secret stop to an important institution Just hours after Princess Kate delighted staff and patients with a visit to the new Wellbeing Garden at the Colchester Hospital to discuss her cancer journey, it has emerged she made a second secret stop at another important institution. Photos were shared of the Princess of Wales by Support the Paras - the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces charity – as she joined them at their 2 PARA Cultural Day. On Wednesday, Kate opened up about her battle with cancer with patients and volunteers at the Colchester Hospital, taking for the first time about the extent of her gruelling cancer treatment. After her visit, Kate went to another event that was not included in the daily Court Circular. In the snaps shared by Support the Paras, Kate, sporting the same tweed blazer, striped shirt and brown trousers from her hospital visit, was seen speaking with different paratroopers and was even captured stroking a tiny puppy during her royal outing. According to Hello! magazine, Princess Kate passed the Parachute Regiment, who were participating in a team day, on her way home and stopped in for the brief visit before continuing home. In the caption of the post, the charity said: "The 2 PARA Cultural Day is an opportunity for paratroopers to come together and celebrate the many cultural groups that make up the battalion. With food and drink from around the world being served, this event is educational and essential to the battalion's morale. "The day was once again made possible due to funding from @supportourparas, and our Events & Efficiency Manager, Mark, was delighted to be able to talk about our work with those in attendance, which included HRH The Princess of Wales @princeandprincessofwales." While King Charles is Colonel in Chief of the Parachute Regiment, the Princess also holds several military roles, as she was made Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm, Colonel in Chief of the 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Coningsby in 2023. Princess Kate is also Colonel of the Irish Guards and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets. Before her trip to the regiment, the Princess of Wales spoke with patients and staff at the Colchester Hospital, speaking about her gradual return to royal duties after her cancer battle, just weeks after her appearance at Royal Ascot was cancelled at the last minute. Speaking inside the centre, which provides therapy, community groups and holistic treatments including reflexology, she said: "There is a whole phase when you finish your treatment, everybody expects you to be better - go! But that's not the case at all." She said: 'You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment's done, then it's like 'I can crack on, get back to normal' but actually the phase afterwards is really difficult. You're not necessarily under the clinical team any longer but you're not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to. "And actually someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment I think is really valuable." She added: "You have to find your new normal and that takes time."
Wales Online
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
King and Queen meet artists to celebrate 25 years of Royal Drawing School
King and Queen meet artists to celebrate 25 years of Royal Drawing School The exhibition, The Power Of Drawing, features 50 works by well-known names and emerging talent, celebrating the act of drawing as a universal form of expression. King Charles (Image: Tom Dulat, Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse ) The King and Queen have marked 25 years of the Royal Drawing School with a reception at St James's Palace. The exhibition, The Power Of Drawing, features 50 works by well-known names and emerging talent, celebrating the act of drawing as a universal form of expression. Among the contributors were artists David Hockney and Tracey Emin, filmmaker Tim Burton, designer Thomas Heatherwick and the King himself. The King, who co-founded the school in 2000 with artist Catherine Goodman, praised its legacy in a speech to guests. He said: "I thought Catherine was the ideal person (to start the school)." "We owe her a huge debt of gratitude. Article continues below "Seeing the paintings and drawings today – you can imagine how proud I am. "I've always believed in investing in talent for the future." Highlights include Hockney's original charcoal pieces, Cut Trees And Timber Gone, and Burton's untitled watercolour, a rare public showing of his work on paper. Emin, who contributed a 2024 piece titled Because You Left – I Held On, told the PA news agency: "I think he's a fan of my work. "What I feel really good about is it's for a good cause. "King Charles has always loved and appreciated art and he's an artist himself. "It makes sense and it's very appropriate." A standout moment from the evening came from Douglas Farthing, 58, a former Parachute Regiment soldier turned artist, who spent 16 months in Ukraine working with humanitarian teams. His pencil sketches, drawn on the ground in and around Odesa, include portraits of civilians and scenes from the trenches. "I retired and got into drawing through the school," he said. "When Ukraine happened, I spent 16 months out there with a humanitarian team. "The King and I spoke briefly about it – he was very interested. "He was my Colonel-in-Chief, so it meant a lot." Farthing, who has also worked in Gaza and South Sudan, said the school had been "brilliant" at supporting its alumni long after graduation. Grayson Perry, who attended the reception and is set to feature in the anniversary talks programme later this year, added: "The Royal Drawing School is important. "It's human, in a world of AI, drawing is the quintessential thing about being a human." Also in attendance was singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who performed Hallelujah on piano for the King and also contributed a piece to the exhibition. "This is my first exhibit," he said. "I waited for the right venue. What's great about him is the world needs decent people – and he's great." The King's own contribution, a pencil sketch of the gardens at Highgrove, is also on show. Founded as a not-for-profit institution, the Royal Drawing School offers more than 350 in-person and online courses a year, including its flagship postgraduate drawing year programme. Article continues below The Power of Drawing runs from July 1-26 at the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, east London. A wider public programme of talks, masterclasses and events continues into 2026.
South Wales Guardian
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Guardian
King and Queen meet artists to celebrate 25 years of Royal Drawing School
The exhibition, The Power Of Drawing, features 50 works by well-known names and emerging talent, celebrating the act of drawing as a universal form of expression. Among the contributors were artists David Hockney and Tracey Emin, filmmaker Tim Burton, designer Thomas Heatherwick and the King himself. The King, who co-founded the school in 2000 with artist Catherine Goodman, praised its legacy in a speech to guests. He said: 'I thought Catherine was the ideal person (to start the school).' 'We owe her a huge debt of gratitude. 'Seeing the paintings and drawings today – you can imagine how proud I am. 'I've always believed in investing in talent for the future.' Highlights include Hockney's original charcoal pieces, Cut Trees And Timber Gone, and Burton's untitled watercolour, a rare public showing of his work on paper. Emin, who contributed a 2024 piece titled Because You Left – I Held On, told the PA news agency: 'I think he's a fan of my work. 'What I feel really good about is it's for a good cause. 'King Charles has always loved and appreciated art and he's an artist himself. 'It makes sense and it's very appropriate.' A standout moment from the evening came from Douglas Farthing, 58, a former Parachute Regiment soldier turned artist, who spent 16 months in Ukraine working with humanitarian teams. His pencil sketches, drawn on the ground in and around Odesa, include portraits of civilians and scenes from the trenches. 'I retired and got into drawing through the school,' he said. 'When Ukraine happened, I spent 16 months out there with a humanitarian team. 'The King and I spoke briefly about it – he was very interested. 'He was my Colonel-in-Chief, so it meant a lot.' Farthing, who has also worked in Gaza and South Sudan, said the school had been 'brilliant' at supporting its alumni long after graduation. Grayson Perry, who attended the reception and is set to feature in the anniversary talks programme later this year, added: 'The Royal Drawing School is important. 'It's human, in a world of AI, drawing is the quintessential thing about being a human.' Also in attendance was singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who performed Hallelujah on piano for the King and also contributed a piece to the exhibition. 'This is my first exhibit,' he said. 'I waited for the right venue. What's great about him is the world needs decent people – and he's great.' The King's own contribution, a pencil sketch of the gardens at Highgrove, is also on show. Founded as a not-for-profit institution, the Royal Drawing School offers more than 350 in-person and online courses a year, including its flagship postgraduate drawing year programme. The Power of Drawing runs from July 1-26 at the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, east London. A wider public programme of talks, masterclasses and events continues into 2026.
North Wales Chronicle
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
King and Queen meet artists to celebrate 25 years of Royal Drawing School
The exhibition, The Power Of Drawing, features 50 works by well-known names and emerging talent, celebrating the act of drawing as a universal form of expression. Among the contributors were artists David Hockney and Tracey Emin, filmmaker Tim Burton, designer Thomas Heatherwick and the King himself. The King, who co-founded the school in 2000 with artist Catherine Goodman, praised its legacy in a speech to guests. He said: 'I thought Catherine was the ideal person (to start the school).' 'We owe her a huge debt of gratitude. 'Seeing the paintings and drawings today – you can imagine how proud I am. 'I've always believed in investing in talent for the future.' Highlights include Hockney's original charcoal pieces, Cut Trees And Timber Gone, and Burton's untitled watercolour, a rare public showing of his work on paper. Emin, who contributed a 2024 piece titled Because You Left – I Held On, told the PA news agency: 'I think he's a fan of my work. 'What I feel really good about is it's for a good cause. 'King Charles has always loved and appreciated art and he's an artist himself. 'It makes sense and it's very appropriate.' A standout moment from the evening came from Douglas Farthing, 58, a former Parachute Regiment soldier turned artist, who spent 16 months in Ukraine working with humanitarian teams. His pencil sketches, drawn on the ground in and around Odesa, include portraits of civilians and scenes from the trenches. 'I retired and got into drawing through the school,' he said. 'When Ukraine happened, I spent 16 months out there with a humanitarian team. 'The King and I spoke briefly about it – he was very interested. 'He was my Colonel-in-Chief, so it meant a lot.' Farthing, who has also worked in Gaza and South Sudan, said the school had been 'brilliant' at supporting its alumni long after graduation. Grayson Perry, who attended the reception and is set to feature in the anniversary talks programme later this year, added: 'The Royal Drawing School is important. 'It's human, in a world of AI, drawing is the quintessential thing about being a human.' Also in attendance was singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, who performed Hallelujah on piano for the King and also contributed a piece to the exhibition. 'This is my first exhibit,' he said. 'I waited for the right venue. What's great about him is the world needs decent people – and he's great.' The King's own contribution, a pencil sketch of the gardens at Highgrove, is also on show. Founded as a not-for-profit institution, the Royal Drawing School offers more than 350 in-person and online courses a year, including its flagship postgraduate drawing year programme. The Power of Drawing runs from July 1-26 at the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, east London. A wider public programme of talks, masterclasses and events continues into 2026.
