The Duke of Edinburgh Visits Oxfordshire Charity Transforming Rural Community Services
12th February 2025
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited The Branch Trust in Chipping Norton today, bringing national attention to an innovative charity that is providing crucial support services to up to 200 people in rural Oxfordshire every week.
After visiting The Branch this afternoon, His Royal Highness said, “Thank you very much indeed for inviting me to come and visit The Branch to see the amazing project that you have managed to bring to fruition. I would like to congratulate you on not just having the vision but actually seeing it all the way through. It has obviously been quite an adventure to get to this point and evidently also, just by seeing the sheer number of people you have engaged with, has been something which has been much desired and is doing some fantastic work.”
During the Royal visit arranged by the office of the Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, His Royal Highness explored how The Branch Trust is addressing critical service gaps in West Oxfordshire, where 61% of residents live in rural areas and often struggle to access essential support services. Emma Kennedy, CEO of The Branch Trust said: “We were honoured to show The Duke of Edinburgh how we are creating rural solutions to local problems by drawing services back into the market town. Evidence shows that young and old people are not accessing the services that they need to thrive, as they are expected to travel to Banbury, Witney or Oxford. 61% of West Oxfordshire is rural, and living in a market town or the surrounding villages presents additional challenges. We want to ensure that people who need youth, family, mental health, or any other support are able to access this in their local town.
“We have only been open for 6 months, and we are already seeing 150 to 200 people each week access the services that The Branch offers. As a charity, we love to work collaboratively, recognising that we can achieve more together. We are delighted to offer space to Citizens Advice, Oxfordshire Mind, OXPIP, CAP Debt Centre, and Oxfordshire Discovery College and on Fridays, we have partnered with the NHS to host a Keystone Mental Health and Wellbeing Team – these are all services that previously people had to make a 30-40 mile round trip to access. We also take referrals from local schools, health visitors, GPs and Social Services into our own courses where we are targeting early intervention for maximum impact”.
Today, The Duke of Edinburgh met Community Chef Nick Pullen and heard how, since partnering with the Branch to cook 46,000 meals during the pandemic, he has pivoted his business and now delivers “Branch Out and Cook” to young people who are struggling to access education. They have an opportunity to cook using the Branch’s bespoke mobile kitchen units, learning new life-skills and, importantly, building their self-esteem.
The Branch has also broken new ground in Oxfordshire, working with women affected by Domestic Abuse. These women have produced a film highlighting the particular plight of families in rural areas facing a domestic abuse situation – statistics show that victims often take 25% longer to report abuse and then find it difficult to access support. At The Branch, we are actively working to address this, and in May, we are hosting an event to raise awareness of the impact of domestic abuse on children.
One woman said that she was shaking inside when she first arrived at the course but was greeted with kindness and felt she could share her darkest feelings and realised that she was not alone. “Being able to access this course locally at The Branch has meant that I have a support network and have been able to make positive steps forward for my family and me”.
We were delighted to showcase some of our work to The Duke of Edinburgh, highlighting that although we may live in one of the most desirable areas in the country, this often masks the fact that poverty, debt, lack of opportunity, mental health & domestic abuse challenges still exist. The Branch, is committed to building the best rural community service that provides hope and transforms local lives, and we are eager to share our successes with other market towns.
For more information about The Branch please see their website www.thebranchtrust.org, or drop in to Connect Cafe on a Tuesday during term times, 1 to 2.30pm.
