Community
Local History
Princess Diana Opens Belper Red Cross Centre Fifty years ago I received permission from Derbyshire Red Cross to establish a voluntary aid detachment in Belper, so I set about finding somewhere to run courses to train interested volunteers in first aid and nursing. My first thought was to try Babington Hospital in Belper. An interview with the Matron and Hospital Secretary led to permission to use the disused Training Room at the hospital. So began many years of building up a thriving detachment and several groups of youth members, all giving service in various ways to the people of Belper. In a structural reorganisation in 1974, National Headquarters asked the branches to set up centres in each town which would draw together the Red Cross services in their area, overseen by a centre organiser. Belper Centre was quickly established and run from the Centre Organiser’s home. By 1989 it was apparent that an office with regular opening hours was desirable to handle the amount of work coming in. Again the Hospital Secretary of the time was approached, and he offered the former chapel which was only used for storage. This proved acceptable to all parties, and the Red Cross took it over in 1991 after the refurbishment of the room. As the Centre was the only one in the country to be set up in a hospital, thoughts turned to having an official opening to mark the event. The Branch President approached National Headquarters, and we were delighted to hear that HRH Princess Diana had agreed to come in her capacity as Patron of Red Cross Youth. The date was fixed for April 28th, 1992. Then the planning began. The presentation line and the youth members’ activities in first aid, home nursing and child care would take place in the walled garden outside the centre room. Inside would be displays of casualty simulation and hand care, and a small group of children would say a short poem about the Red Cross. Then the Princess would sign her photograph and unveil the plaque there. The plan and timetable were drawn up and approved. Letters went out to the schools asking permission for the children’s absence, and invitations to guests were sent. We received permission to make a
HRH with Mrs M. Henry (County President) and Mrs P. Marjoram (Centre Organiser)
video film of the occasion, and Lester & Nix kindly hired the latest video cameras and provided two staff to record the day. The inscription was designed and approved for the plaque which was then engraved on Welsh slate by a monumental mason. The day dawned; fortunately dry and sunny. The police made sure all was safe and secure at the hospital, even looking into drains and attics! Then the participants were let in, if they arrived at the stated time and with their invitation cards. Preparations went well and all was ready in good time when the Princess arrived to visit the hospital wards first and then the Red Cross Centre. All agreed that she was very interested in everything on display, and she spent a lot of time talking with the youth groups and other members, and was a delightful person to meet. All too soon it was time for her to leave, but not before she had chatted to people in the crowd out on Derby Road. The rest of us went to The Orangery for speeches, cutting of the celebration cakes and tea. The Centre thrived and developed over the following years. However, nothing lasts. The British Red Cross reorganised itself again, deciding centres were no longer needed, and at the end of 2009, Belper closed down.
By Pat Marjoram Editor’s note: Sadly this is the final ‘Local History’ article from Pat but I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge ‘Thank you’, on behalf of Team ATL and all our readers, for all the wonderful contributions over the years!
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