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Kate in Favorite Look for EACH Nook Hospice Opening

The Duchess brought back a familiar look for today’s EACH (East Anglia’s Childen’s Hospices) engagement in Norfolk, the formal opening of The Nook Hospice.
 

 
The Duchess is the EACH royal patron; it was one of her first announced royal patronages. Kate’s initial public engagement with the organization was in 2012 at the official opening of the Treehouse hospice.
 
Below, you see Kate greeted today by children from Poringland School and Nursery. The children told the Duchess they raised more than $1300 for The Nook.

More from Simon Perry’s People story:

Kate was in full mom mode — asking student Poppy Parslow-Williams, “Are you cold?” and rubbing his arm after seeing him shiver.

“It was amazing. I shook her hand!” he told reporters.

Niamh Bell, 11, added, “She was very kind. Even though she didn’t have a lot of time she still came to talk to us.”

EACH cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Here you see the Duchess meeting three-year-old Stanley Harrold and his mother, Stef Partington.
 
Stanley has a rare chromosomal disorder called Pallister-Killian syndrome.
Rebecca English shared a video of Kate speaking with the family.

 

Some of the services offered by EACH include specialized nursing care, symptom-management nursing, short breaks for caregivers, wellbeing activities, therapy, counseling, and volunteer services in the family home. Below, the Duchess greeting staff and supporters.
 
Today’s engagement was very special, indeed, the culmination of years of work. 
 
After five years of fundraising and planning and construction, the new facility opened earlier this autumn! Many readers will remember when the Duchess helped launch the £10 million capital campaign for The Nook.
 
It was almost five years ago today, November 25, 2014.
 
 
Other Nook campaign engagements included a visit to the Emma Bridgewater pottery factory to showcase a line of limited-edition items being sold as part of the fundraising drive.
 
Another event was at historic Houghton Hall in June 2016.
 
In January 2017 the Duchess received an update on the Nook status when visiting an EACH hospice in Quidenham.
 
This brings us to today’s event. Kate toured the new facility and spent time with patients and their families. All of the services are geared toward meeting not just the needs of the individual child, but those of the entire family.
 
Here you see Kate with Isabella Alford, who is ten. Isabella has a progressive neurological genetic condition that is very rare.
 
The Duchess talked with Isabella’s parents, Deborah and James Alford. More from Hello!

Her mother Deborah Alford, 44, said Isabella’s health had deteriorated in the last 18 months, meaning she now struggles with breathing when sitting in a wheelchair and must lie on a bed instead.

“She (Kate) asked if Isabella could hear and if she could see, and I explained that Isabella could see just in front of her,” said Mrs Alford. “She came to her eye level so that Isabella could see her and there was good eye contact. She (Isabella) moved her eyes to look directly at her.

Kate saw the hospice’s new sensory room.

And spent time doing crafts with children and their families.

Kate Duchess Cambridge Oscar de la Renta Magenta Suit EACH Nook Hospice

It looks like they might have been making gingerbread houses!

She heard directly from families about ways EACH services helped them. More from Rebecca English’s Daily Mail story:

The Duchess of Cambridge spent the afternoon meeting some of the families who benefit from the many services it offers, including those with very sick children and others whose children have died, asking about the care they receive.

She was then reunited with Leigh Smith, 38, who moved her to tears when they met in 2014 – when the royal first attended the launch of The Nook – just months after Ms Smith had lost her three-month-old daughter Beatrice to a rare heart condition.

Back to Rebecca’s story:

Ms Smith said after their private meeting: ‘She told me, “I don’t know how you did that, how you got through it.”

‘It was really lovely to see her again and she gave me a big hug.

‘She asked me if I felt that what we had gone through was still a difficult subject to discuss in the wider community and I told her that yes, death is still a big taboo, especially children’s death.

‘But I told her how important her role has been in breaking down that taboo, and mental health generally, normalising it and making it easier to talk about such things.

Back in 2014, Rebecca reported that Leigh had written the Duchess a letter after Beatrice’s death, and she received a personal reply from Kate.

EACH reports that after meeting children and families today, Kate “remarked that the visit had “reinforced for me what the heart is of the work you’re doing here – and that is family.”

Another view.

Kate delivered remarks at today’s engagement. She applauded everyone involved with the project before speaking.

Here’s a quick video from the Palace.

From Kate’s remarks:
You have created here at The Nook a nurturing, caring environment that allows families who are going through the unimaginable the ability to spend precious quality time with each other, comforted in the knowledge that their children are being looked after in the best possible way.
 
More about Kate’s involvement from Victoria Murphy’s Town and Country story:

…the charity’s outgoing Chief Executive Graham Butland shared with T&C how the duchess has been keen to be kept informed. “She was very keen to have regular updates as to how the building was going,” he said.

Graham also noted how Kate has visited some of the families that the charity helps in their own homes as she continues her support behind the scenes. “She’s also made private visits to the hospice. She’s visited at least a couple of families in their own homes, all without publicity, not known etcetera,” he said.

The new building has more areas for clinical care and dedicated therapy rooms, which will allow EACH to meet the increased demand for its service and the ever-changing and more complex needs of those it cares for. From an EACH release:

After a five-year public appeal to raise £10 million and almost two years of building, EACH welcomed the first child to receive care at The Nook on Monday, 30 September.

Here is a very quick time-lapse of the Nook under construction.

Kate had helpers for the unveiling of a plaque marking today’s event. 

There are still some items needed at The Nook, and you can help purchase them through the Shop for the Nook site.

You can buy things like tea towels, mattress protectors, dishes, and other items here.

You can also buy a brick to support the Nook.

On a personal note, one of the very nicest things about this story is the contribution to EACH made through the Baby Cambridge Fundraiser held in 2013. The Fundraiser was a joint effort of five online royal fashion and news bloggers: British RoyalsKate Middleton StyleHRH Duchess KateA Petite Princess, and WKW. It was named “Baby Cambridge” because at the time we did the fundraising Kate was expecting Prince George. Ultimately we surpassed our goal.  

In its news release about today’s event, EACH noted that “This momentous year, our hospice in Milton, Cambridgeshire, opened by Diana, Princess of Wales, has celebrated its 30th anniversary whilst it has also marked 20 years since it started delivering care and support in Suffolk and East Essex.”  

More from a Cambridge Independent story:

EACH in its current form was established in 1998, when the hospice in Milton merged with one in Quidenham, Norfolk, that had opened in 1991.

Both realised it would be easier to achieve their objectives as one and coming together then meant EACH had, probably, amassed more experience in children’s palliative care than any other organisation in the world.

At the time, it was one of only four children’s hospices in the world.  

Here is an EACH newsletter covering Princess Anne’s visit to the Milton hospice in 2003 when she officially opened the facility’s new education center.

There was a big thumbs-up from the Duchess as she left today.

I think it wasn’t just for the new facility, staff, and services, but also for the culmination of five years of work by so very many people.

Now for our look at what Kate wore.

The Oscar de la Renta suit is from the Fall 2015 collection, crafted of a stretch wool boucle. 

From our initial description of the jacket:  the three-quarter sleeve tailored jacket (originally $2190) features a fitted bodice with a pleated, flared hem. There are dual front besom pockets, a pointed collar, and slits at the end of the sleeves. This piece also has multiple panels and seams below the yoke on the back and the pockets on the front.

The skirt (originally $1290) has box pleats and a hidden back zipper. Here is a closer look at the nubby texture of that fabric, a wool/poly blend with a touch of elastane for ease of movement. 

The suit was first worn in February 2017 for a medical conference, and again this January for a visit to the Royal Opera House. 

We saw the return of the clutch that was part of the Aspinal/Beulah London handbag collaboration. 25% of the profits from each bag sold were donated to the UN’s Blue Heart Campaign Against Human Trafficking.

Kate brought back her Gianvito Rossi ‘Piper’ suede pumps ($695).

The style is available in limited sizes at Net-a-Porter, in only a few sizes at My Theresa.

The Duchess wore her Catherine Zoraida ‘Fern hoop’ earrings. 

One more photo of the Duchess, this one as she was leaving The Nook. 

 

VIDEOS:

Here is coverage from the Royal Family Channel.

The Telegraph offers just a bit more than one minute of coverage in this piece.

This 5-minute video from EACH explains the need for The Nook.

LINKAGE:

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Stacey

Wednesday 20th of November 2019

Really cute outfit for fall. I love the pop of hot pink color on the dreary landscape. Kate looked lovely. I normally don't like the flouncy skirts or short-waisted coats but this one works for some reason.

pca

Monday 18th of November 2019

All good with this except the flared skirt. . . . . A trim skirt (but not so tight she can't bend down and chat with the little ones) at knee length would be so much more sophisticated.

Taylor

Tuesday 19th of November 2019

I think the flare skirt allows the outfit to flow together nicely. A straight pencil skirt would make the jacket look like a puff piece. The flares in the skirt works perfectly in this monochrome suit...I love it. However; I agree that the outfits skirt length is a bit short, bringing it down to the knee should have enhanced the look even more!

Jessica

Monday 18th of November 2019

I really like this look, and I so appreciate a colorful, whimsical, princessy look to visit these kids. I can't even really bear to think about what they and their families go through. What an important thing they are doing at EACH nook.

She has styled this look very similarly in all three appearances, so I have the information I need now to say it's definitely at its best with the darker, more opaque tights and the matte block heels, as today, rather than the shiny stilettos, as in January.

Laura

Sunday 17th of November 2019

What a wonderful program for kids and families! When I first began working in special education, I went into homes and worked with children who had severe or terminal medical conditions. Many families needed to make that difficult step to begin hospice care. I cannot fathom the strength of these families, and every day I was awed by the resilience shown by both parents and children. I am so were able to build their new center- what a fantastic way to support kids and families through the hardest, most sorrowful times in their lives.

On a wardrobe note, I like this suit. It is not my favorite, but the cut is professional and flattering, the color is amazing, the wool fabric seems like such high quality. I would love to see this suit re-cut to eliminate the peplum and slim down the flared skirt so it looks more mature and less girlish. I have no idea if this could be done, since I’m not a seamstress, but then I think this suit would be absolutely stunning.

Susan

Sunday 17th of November 2019

I think she consistently misses w shoes, jewelry and belts. That said I think she is beautiful and carries herself well. I think she always gets coats and hair perfectly!! And her smile is infectious!! Today’s earrings were underwhelming and her skirt would be better slightly longer- but why criticize- she’s still fabulous and joyful!!

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