A Visit to Buckingham Palace
Nobody at The Nightingale ever imagined that knitting blankets could lead to a handshake with King Charles at Buckingham Palace but that’s exactly what happened.
The Nightingale Knit and Natter group, meet weekly to knit, share stories and offer support in a space where they feel understood. The group is a staple at our centre and anyone who walks past them at our kitchen table is in awe of their talent, as they seamlessly knit and chat.
Durning lockdown, one of our knitters, Jane, wanted to put her free time (and her fantastic knitting skills) to good use. She came up with the wonderful idea to make knitted blankets for people going through cancer treatment, as covid made treatment particularly isolating. And the Stitches of Support project was born.
While socially distancing the Knit and Natter group got to work creating lots of colourful granny squares to be stitched together to create the blankets.
However, our Knit and Natter group can only knit and natter so much, so as demand for blankets grew, we put the project to knit squares out to the knitting community with the help of national magazines and online press.
Stitches of Support not only grew nationwide but worldwide, receiving squares from as far as Hong Kong!
Each square received is hand-stitched together by our Knit and Natter group to create the most unique blankets – no two ever being the same.
Over the last 5 years, we have received over 15,000 squares and handed out over 800 blankets to Nightingale clients and to people at local hospital chemo wards and bedded units.
We even had one of our blankets displayed at the Craftworks in Shoreditch, as part of their Craft Really Works collection which exhibited community projects in the UK focused on the positive side effects of crafting.
In 2024, The King bravely announced his own cancer diagnosis.
Our Knit and Natter group knew exactly what to do; make him a Stitches of Support blanket. The blanket was the group’s way of saying, ‘You’re not alone.’
Getting the blanket into royal hands was no easy mission. After many emails, letters and phone calls it looked like the blanket could soon be calling Buckingham Palace their new home.
That alone felt like an incredible achievement and then a completely unexpected letter arrived: The Nightingale was invited to a Community-Based Cancer Support Reception hosted by Their Majesties The King and The Queen at Buckingham Palace!
The reception was held to celebrate organisations raising awareness of cancer and supporting people living with cancer.
The letter came as a total surprise and when Nick read it aloud to the team, everyone was stunned. It wasn’t easy but we had to keep the news quiet until all the details had been confirmed. Excitement, disbelief, nerves and pride all bubbled under the surface. Before the event, The King shared a message of support,
‘Each diagnosis, each new case, will be a daunting and at times frightening experience for those individuals and their loved ones. But as one among those statistics myself, I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity.’
It has certainly given me an even deeper appreciation of the extraordinary work undertaken by the remarkable organisations and individuals gathered here this evening, many of whom I have known, visited and supported over the years. And it has reinforced what I have long observed during these visits – that the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion.’
So, in April, Fiona (Head of Services), Mel (Finance Assistant), Jane and Kerry (two instrumental Stitches of Support volunteers) all donned their finest outfits and set off to meet The King and The Queen.
One their way to Buckingham Palace, our royal group jumped in a cab whose driver just so happened to be from Waltham Abbey. After hearing where the group were headed and more importantly why, the driver refused to take any payment for their journey!
He was just happy to see local people being recognised. What a kind start to a remarkable day!
On to Buckingham Palace they went…
…royal guards, red carpets, trays of champagne, canapes galore and the Change + Check choir all awaited them. The visit was awash with grandeur and pageantry.
Rather than hearing from us, here’s what Fiona, Mel, Jane and Kerry all thought of their visit.
Fiona’s Buckingham Palace experience
When we first got the letter inviting The Nightingale to Buckingham Palace, it didn’t sink in at all. How can this little charity get an invite to meet The King and Queen?
The excitement from Jane and Kerry, two of our clients and members of our Knit and Natter group really touched my heart. This is who we’re here to help and it was lovely getting to join them on this once in a lifetime experience.
Meeting all the other community-based initiatives and talking about their journeys was amazing. It made me really proud to be part of The Nightingale. Actually meeting The King felt like I was on TV, like it was all happening to someone else!
Mel’s Buckingham Palace experience
I thought the invite was a joke at first and when I was chosen as one of the representatives of the charity. I rushed home to tell my family, who also thought it was a joke!
When we arrived at Buckingham Palace it was a bit surreal. I had been to Buckingham Palace before but had always entered through the side entrance, never through the big gates at the front.
One of the highlights of the reception was meeting all the other charities there, everyone was so thrilled and honour to be there and be recognised for their work.
I managed to meet The King twice! After I first shook hands with The King I realised Fiona, Jane and Kerry hadn’t managed to meet him, so I queued up with them again and managed to tell him about the Stitches of Support blanket that had been knitted for him
It was all over in a flash! It was a once in a life time experience that I will always remember and I am grateful that I had the chance to represent The Nightingale.
Jane’s Buckingham Palace experience
I never dreamt that the idea I had during lockdown would blossom into what has become the reason I got to visit Buckingham Palace. When The King had been diagnosed with cancer my first thought was that he was like any other person walking through The Nightingale’s doors looking for support, why not make a blanket for him too? No matter who you are, it’s nice to know that you’re not alone during your cancer and that others are thinking of you.
When Nick called me and asked if I wanted to go to Buckingham Palace, I was speechless! I was very honoured to be given the chance of this amazing experience. My mind was in turmoil, ‘Will I have to curtsy? What do you say if The King speaks to you?’
The day of the reception felt slightly surreal. There was a crush of people around The King and Queen, all other charities that wanted to meet them and highlight their own work, so it was amazing when I got to do just that.
What a memory to have and be able to share with the grandkids!
I do hope that this raises the profile of The Nightingale and the people they serve.
Kerry’s Buckingham Palace experience
Surprise, panic, excitement all rushed through me when I was asked by The Nightingale team to represent them at Buckingham Palace. I want very quiet for a while, all I could think was, ‘Wow’.
My first thought was about what I was going to wear! Then I remembered the yellow dress I wore as one of the models at The Nightingale Fashion Show. Then shoes were an issue, so I checked eBay and found a gorgeous pair of blue shoes. Coincidentally, the shoes were initially bought by someone attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace, but they changed their mind last minute. These shoes were destined to meet The King.
Surprisingly, apart from the huge chandeliers and the gold paint everywhere, it all seemed very relaxed and casual. There was no list of dos and don’ts when meeting The King and Queen.
One minute there were no cameras and the next they were all up in the air. That’s when I knew The King and Queen had entered the room.
What an unreal day!
Fiona, Mel, Jane and Kerry have all expressed how surreal it was to have met and shaken hands with The King. Mel even got to meet him twice!
From all of them there was an overwhelming sense of honour, representing the charity, the Knit and Natter group and every single person who knitted a square for Stitches of Support.
It was just a few moments but it is a once in a lifetime experience they will never forget.
Later, sitting together in a reflective moment, Kerry turned to Jane and said, “Who knew that getting cancer and knitting blankets would get you to Buckingham Palace?”
They’re still pinching themselves. And, of course, still knitting.