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Long Live the King
from Avery Life Issue 7
A KING SIZE
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King Charles III is the oldest person to ascend to the British throne at 73 years of age. After the New Elizabethan Age, we have the Carolean era, derived from the word Carolus, Latin for
Charles. The last time we had a King Charles was during the Restoration of the Stuarts (1660 – 1685). The King before The Merry Monarch was his father, Charles I, who was the victim of regicide (killing of a monarch or sovereign). He was executed by beheading in 1649, following the second English Civil War and the infamous gunpowder plot. All these explosive events led to Oliver Cromwell becoming Lord Protector for five years until his death in 1658. Our new King has fierce competition from his namesakes concerning carving out his reign as the most memorable Carolean period in history.
Now that a King is officially reigning over us, there will be many changes to items in our everyday life. A different profile will be on our money and stamps, and a new royal cypher will be on our post boxes,
passports, military uniforms and liveries. Our national anthem has had to change its lyrics too and you might have noticed newsreaders adapting to saying, ‘His Majesty the King’. All of these are superficial changes, of course. The biggest changes will be from within the Palace, autonomous changes from Charles himself. There is already talk of a slimmed-down monarchy and a less ostentatious coronation. Although there are rumours that the King will wear around £4 billion worth of regalia as he is anointed on 6th May 2023, the golden jewels part of the ceremony will be shortened, stripping back the pomp and fanfare. Charles will be the 40th monarch formally crowned at Westminster Abbey, a tradition spanning 900 years.
The Prince’s Trust is a global network of charities founded by Charles in 1976 after completing his Royal Navy duties. It came from an idea to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people, which has involved many famous names throughout the years, including Idris Elba, a goodwill ambassador for the organisation, who previously received a grant to help
him train as an actor. There is also Charles’ history of environmental activism; long before we had heard the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘grass-fed’, he was already supporting organic farming and taking action against climate change. At the time, it was a popular notion that the former Prince Charles was a new-age eco-warrior for talking to his plants. The press thought he was “positively bonkers” at the time, but he has since been vindicated and noted as a much more positive “pioneer”. The gardens at the King’s 900-acre Gloucestershire estate, Highgrove House, provide the produce for his Duchy Originals range, sold through Waitrose. Charles
has spent hours tending to the Highgrove gardens with great passion, installing an organic farm there. The gardens are open to the public, welcoming visitors all year round, with tours including the Chelsea award-winning Carpet Garden. There is also a Highgrove cream tea in the Orchard Room and an Estate Shop selling artisanal crafts exclusively designed for Highgrove. The money raised from the tours and shop is donated to The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund. An interesting fact is that ownership of the Highgrove estate has been passed down to Prince William but is still leased to King Charles.
In a tradition dating back to 1917 and the reign of King George V, telegrams were sent from His Majesty to mark 60th wedding anniversaries and 100th birthdays. Buckingham Palace now sends thousands of birthday cards annually to those celebrating their 100th and 105th birthdays, and 60th, 65th and 70th anniversaries, and any thereafter. Ruth Park-Pearson was one of several Second World War veterans to receive good wishes from the new king on her special day. Born in Glasgow but now residing in North Yorkshire, Ruth served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (popularly known as the Wrens). Many of Ruth’s six children, 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren joined her for the centennial celebration. The photo featured on the new cards is of a smiling Charles and Camilla, taken in 2018 and the greeting reads, “My wife and I are so pleased to know that you celebrated your one hundredth birthday on 21 October 2022. This brings our warmest congratulations and heartfelt good wishes on such a special occasion.”
Aside from Charles’ designs for a modern monarchy, we are seeing a more human public persona and enjoyed his sense of humour on many occasions when he shared a joke with Camilla or laughed with his beloved sons and grandchildren. Charles has been captured, on film, erupting into fits of giggles at the horse racing with his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, often pointing something out to be amused at. We rarely witness glimpses of a senior royal doing what comes naturally, but under King Charles III, the future royal family looks likely to be a tailored version of the world-famous Institution.
Sponsors Disability Bowls England
Avery Healthcare is delighted to announce a new partnership as they become a proud sponsor of Disability Bowls England.
Disability Bowls England (DBE) was originally formed as part of the Stoke Mandeville Games, later becoming what is known today as the Paralympic Games. Established in 2004, DBE was launched as the coordinating body for bowlers of all ages and abilities with physical, sensory or learning disabilities.
Sharing the same ethos of inclusivity and diversity, their main objective is to improve the condition of life for those living with disabilities and to facilitate their participation in the sport. Delivering an England-wide co-ordinated programme of activities and events, they engage and re-engage specifically with disabled people in the sport of bowls, often utilising specialist equipment and mobility aids to help participation. Outcomes for individuals are of improved self-esteem and well-being.
Today the organisation has 465 registered members and 170 Member Clubs, which comprises of bowlers with a range of impairments, each with their own individual challenges to overcome to allow their involvement in the sport. The promotion and demonstration of adapted bowling aids is allowing individuals with a range of complex physical and sensory challenges to engage and re-engage in bowling activities.
Practical demonstrations of specialist equipment and enlisting the services of facilitators have aided novice and established bowlers’ participation and offered solutions to a range of participation challenges. Not only does the organisation provide some amazing community work with local bowling clubs, but they also have a well-developed team that represents
England on an international level. 2022 has been a successful year for the team, picking up accolades at numerous competitions.
The support from Avery Healthcare allows DBE to continue their fantastic work in improving people’s social lives with disabilities and supports the team to continue competing on a global level with many exciting competitions coming up in 2023, including Wales and Scotland for the Para Home Internationals in April and September, and their trip to the Gold Coast, Australia in September for the World Championships. Avery care home residents are eagerly getting involved too, hopefully with some budding bowling stars in the future as they hone their skills.
Winners
LDIBIS Learning Disabilities Indoor Bowls International Series
Runners Up Commonwealth Games
Men’s Pairs and Mixed Pairs
Bronze medallist
