The Victory Services Club receives a visit from The Princess Royal

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, was the guest of honour at the National Coastwatch Institution’s (NCI) Twenty Fifth Anniversary Annual Station Managers’ Meeting held at The Victory Services Club (VSC), London.

The NCI is the voluntary organisation that assists in the protection and preservation of life at sea and along the United Kingdom coastline. Her Royal Highness is the NCI's Patron, she met the station managers, board of trustees and management team who had gathered for their annual meeting.

Ian Whalley, deputy chairman of the NCI said: “Her Royal Highness is the perfect patron; she took the time to meet everyone who attended – which is no mean feat in a room of 120 people. Our volunteers and staff were delighted with her engaging and knowledgeable speech. This is the first time that we have held this event at the VSC and it was the perfect venue for us. The Carisbrooke Hall was outstanding, the staff enormously helpful and we were very, very pleased with the way the whole event ran.”

The Carisbrooke Hall was set up with tables in cabaret style with the volunteers grouped into regions, which allowed Her Royal Highness to meet everyone. After Her Royal Highness left, the NCI meeting continued, followed by lunch with presentations and updates, with interaction and input from volunteers, the trustees and the management team.