Lisa Boon, Senior Practitioner at Millennium House, tells us about the very special day for the customers and team at Millenium House that took place a few weeks ago.
“We held a house meeting as normal on Friday 28th February. We then let everyone know in the house that we had some visitors arriving that day; His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and Charlie Nunn, CEO of Lloyds Bank Group. Some of our customers were understandably anxious but the overwhelming energy in the house was excitement and pride that we had been chosen for the visit.
Lots of people started arriving and the morning went past in a blur. Before we knew it, we were told that Prince William would be arriving and both BCHA colleagues and customers gathered for his arrival. Everyone who visited Millennium House showed our customers the kindness and understanding that they needed. Having so many people in their home can be overwhelming but our customers took all of it in their stride.
Prince William had a warm, kind nature and took the time to speak to all our customers. He showed genuine interest in their stories and treated them all with kindness and respect, taking the time to remember their names and what was important to them."
“He went into one of our customers rooms and asked about their journey with BCHA. Prince William then praised him for the lovely and homely environment that he had created, even joking with the customer that “it is far tidier than my children's rooms!”. We then moved into the kitchen and spoke with another resident. He empathised with our customer about how difficult it must be to continuously re-tell her story to different professionals which can be quite a traumatic experience.
Prince William and Charlie Nunn then went into the garden. Two of our customers had found the experience overwhelming and had moved to a quiet spot in the garden to reflect on the day. Prince William took the time to stop and talk to the customers away from the hustle and bustle. This meant so much to our customers, that he had taken the time away from the group just to speak to them."
“Our Feel Good Friday event on the day was gardening, where we were planting seedlings. Prince William spoke to one of our customers and she said about how gardening had changed her life and how she had completed the horticulture course with BCHA Learn. She voiced how proud she was of this and how grateful she was for the support of the team at Millennium who have helped her turn her life around. Prince William congratulated her on all her hard work and achievements and then planted some broccoli with our customers, after which he said, ‘I will be keeping an eye on this to see if it has grown!’
“The sun was shining and our residents all had beaming smiles to match the weather. The whole visit was a success and our customers are still enjoying reflecting on the visit and looking at pictures from the day.”
With the help of Homewards, BCHA want to break the cycle of homelessness and those facing difficulties with their mental health.
“As the senior practitioner of Millennium House and knowing all the stories of our customers, I feel immense pride. I am so grateful to Homewards and the Royal Foundation and Lloyds Banking Group, for taking the time to shine a light on what we do. This visit shows why places like Millennium House are vital to support people with mental health struggles that are at risk of homelessness when they are discharged from hospital.”
“Without safe and supported housing to help them ease back into society, or housing to move on to, there is a high chance that they will be faced with homelessness. This can lead to further hospital admissions and the cycle will continue.
“The visit is something that we at Millennium House will all look back on fondly. As one of our customers said, “he was very down to earth, someone I could get on with, a really nice bloke”, which we feel is reflected in Prince William’s work with Homewards."
BCHA is proud to be a member of the Homelessness Partnership BCP who are working directly with The Royal Foundation's Homewards programme. This visit was a result of this partnership and part of a wider action plan to end homelessness.
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