Delight as Shropshire craft centre gets invite to Buckingham Palace

The Crowsmill Craft Centre in Quatt, near Bridgnorth, was set up around as a Community Interest Company around 12 years ago and works with schools and other organisations providing support to vulnerable people.

It offers classes in woodworking, blacksmithing, bricklaying, plastering, welding and jewellery-making among other activities to people with physical disabilities, learning difficulties, mental health issues and disaffected youths.

This year, Crowsmill Craft Centre successfully secured grant support through the Branching Out Fund and will be planting a variety of fruit and nut trees in the new green space of their existing provision, having successfully crowdfunded last year to develop the land for wildlife and community enjoyment, maintained with the help of their service users in land-management workshops.

Now all their good work has been recognised in royal circles after co-founder Dickon Pitt was sent an invite to Buckingham Palace.

The invite to a garden party on May 14 is from King Charles who has organised the event to thank people that give help to their local communities.

Mr Pitt says he believes he has Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire Anna Turner to thank for the invite.

He said: “I had an inkling that I had been put forward by Anna Turner, the Lord-Lieutenant as she has a soft spot for our organisation.

“But it was incredibly exciting when the invitation arrived in the post the other day.

“The event is a thank you to community groups and it means so much to us. Things are going well at Crowsmill Craft Centre and getting this recognition is testament to the ten staff members and our volunteers.

“I said to them that without them we simply could not do what we are doing as you have to have the right people.”

He said he will be attending the palace with his wife, but Mr Pitt, who sports a distinctive long beard added: “I believe princes are not allowed to grow beards so I hope I don't make anybody jealous.”