Duchess opens veterans' support centre in Chelsea
BBCAn outreach programme at the Royal Hospital Chelsea got a seal of approval when Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, formally opened the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Veterans Centre.
The centre has been designed to provide "a welcoming space for veterans to socialise, stay active and rebuild the bonds of comradeship often lost post-service", according to the Hospital.
The duchess toured the centre, in the Hospital's restored Soane Stable Yard, and met Chelsea Pensioners who offer public tours of the historic site.
Gen Sir Adrian Bradshaw, governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea said it would provide support to veterans, particularly the elderly.
The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Veterans Centre will host weekly drop-in sessions between 10:00 and 12:30 every Thursday.
Bradshaw said the facility would provide support to veterans from all three armed services and the merchant navy, in an effort to combat social isolation and loneliness.
Ruth, who has just celebrated her 102nd birthday, joined the Wrens as a teenager.
She told BBC London that social events with other veterans are important to her.
"We have a picnic and the carol service.
"Anything that they invite me to, I come. Yeah, it's nice. It's nice because otherwise I don't get far."
The Hospital said the Grade I listed Soane Stable Yard, a significant example of Sir John Soane's architecture in London, had been "painstakingly restored to provide space to support local communities, families and the elderly with free events, workshops and local services".
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