Our Senior Prefects and House Captains went to London for the Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild at St James’s Palace. The Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild is a British charity founded in 1882 which distributes new clothing and household linen to lots of other charities every year. These include charities for neonatal units, ex-service people, the disabled, the homeless, the elderly and people in hospices.
In 2010, it took the name Queen Mother’s Clothing Guild in honour of its former patron the Queen Mother.
Armed with umbrellas in case of rain, our girls departed from Effingham Junction station to their destination at London Waterloo. After experiencing a few ‘double takes’ from passers-by due to looking so splendid in their blazers and boaters, they headed off to St James’s Palace. There, they encountered some solemn guards and, after having a customary photograph with them, followed a little crowd inside St James’s Palace. One or two of the rooms were full of clothes that everyone had donated and the girls even saw a few garments from the donations given by families of Manor House School. They met Princess Alexandra, now patron of the charity, which was a memorable moment for all of them as they shook hands with royalty. Then it was all hands on deck to pack all the clothes into bags for all the charities. They packed, counted, recounted and packed and finally their job was done.
After saying their goodbyes, everyone took a trip down St James’s Park to Fortnum and Mason for a high tea – including some very delicate macaroons – before heading back to Surrey.
