Royal Visit to Star Hub

As part of their first official visit to Wales, Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle toured projects set up to change the lives and opportunities of young people in disadvantaged areas of Wales. The royal couple were hosted at Better Star Hub Leisure Centre in Cardiff by StreetGames, a charity that works throughout the UK to change lives and communities by providing equal opportunities through sport. The prince and his fiancé attended table tennis and street dance workshops led and attended by young people as part of StreetGames’ UsGirls and Doorstep Sport initiatives in partnership with Better.

The royal couple also met with some of the charity’s staff, volunteers and partners and had a chance to find out more about how StreetGames has been working with Sport Wales, the Welsh government and 300 community organisations across Wales to help 40,000 disadvantaged young people reap the benefits of sport.

Paul Roberts, StreetGames’ Head of Programmes in Wales, said, “It’s brilliant to welcome the royal couple to Cardiff today. Here in Wales, one in three children grow up in poverty. The work that StreetGames does, with the help of our volunteers, ensures that those children aren’t denied the opportunity to grow up experiencing firsthand the benefits of sport.”

StreetGames runs programmes for young people throughout the whole of the UK and it is not the first time the organisation has attracted royal support. Just last year, Prince Harry visited one of the charity’s projects in the London Borough of Newham.

Jane Ashworth, StreetGames’ CEO, said of the visit, “We’re delighted to welcome Prince Harry back to StreetGames and to have Ms. Markle with us today to hear directly from some of the thousands of children that we help across the UK. What underpins all our programmes is our goal to provide some of the poorest children with access to sports and all the benefits it brings: it’s fantastic to have them with us here today, celebrating this important work.”

Juliette Dickinson, Regional Director, GLL said: “We are delighted to have welcomed Prince Harry and Meghan to the Better Star Hub, Cardiff on their first official visit to Wales, and we congratulate them on their recent engagement.

“We are proud to demonstrate how our facilities and services have made, and continue to make a positive impact on the lives of local young people.”