The Princess Royal met people of all ages during her visit to Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon, including a chaplaincy volunteer celebrating his 80th birthday and three sets of new parents and their newborns. Roger Cresswell – the hospital’s oldest serving member of staff and popular member of the chaplaincy team – turned 80 last week and was working a shift during a VIP visit from HRH The Princess Royal.
The Princess Royal was invited to meet staff and find out more about the hospital’s maternity services, in her role as patron of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).
As part of last week’s visit and the tour, Roger was presented to meet the Princess Royal, an honour which came as a complete surprise to him on the day.
His special milestone was also marked with a lunch for himself and his wife Julia, arranged by grateful colleagues at the trust to thank him for all his hard work and dedication.
Roger began working for the trust in 2018 but had been volunteering for chaplaincy services more than a decade before.
He enjoyed a 34-year service in the RAF, working in supply and logistics, and is a regular supporter of Armed Forces Day.
No stranger to marking milestone birthdays in some style; aged 75, Roger fundraised for the Special Care Baby Unit and Adult Critical Care Unit by spending his day off wing walking.
These units are supported by the chaplaincy, along with the parents, partners, families, and friends, when times become difficult, or when, despite the delivery of amazing intensive care and highly professional nursing, a patient is lost.
Roger said: “After 34 years in the RAF and a 13-year career in industry, I trained as a lay minister before joining the hospital chaplaincy as a volunteer.
“My many rewarding experiences and some divine intervention led me to become one of the chaplains working for Hinchingbrooke Hospital.
“Being there for the patients, their friends and family and for the amazing staff who give so much of themselves to achieve great patient care, is the ultimate privilege – not without its personal costs.”
Three sets of new parents and their newborns also received a surprise visit from HRH The Princess Royal during her visit.
The new mums and dads chatted to The Princess Royal who congratulated them all on the arrival of their baby daughters.
One for the photo album in years to come, it was a day to remember in more ways than one for Katy, Tom, and baby Orla from Little Paxton; Joanna, Gary, and baby Willow from Buckden and Emily, Andre, and baby Nolah from St Ives.
It was a big day, too, for schoolgirl Felicity Cooper, 6, who had the honour of presenting the Princess Royal with a Spring posy.
Felicity, daughter of acute service lead midwife Charlie Leggot, was born at Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and makes a regular appearance at Christmas time sharing gifts with staff and families.
“It seemed only right, that Felicity joined her mum on the visit and presented The Princess Royal with a Spring posy, on behalf of the trust,” said a hospital spokesperson.
Trust director of midwifery, Melissa Davis said: “It was a great honour to welcome the Princess Royal to our hospital and a wonderful experience to share with our maternity colleagues.
“Her Royal Highness has been extremely generous with her time, talking to staff, finding out about the maternity services the trust provides, and understanding the important role it plays in supporting local families through their maternity journey.”
At the end of the tour, The Princess Royal unveiled a special plaque to commemorate her visit, which will be displayed in the maternity unit.
The visit comes not long after improvements to maternity services at the trust, which operates both Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospitals, was recognised in a recent Care Quality Commission review, rating North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, as ‘good’.
The trust’s chief nurse, Jo Bennis, said: “I am extremely proud of the recent ‘good’ CQC rating our maternity services achieved, and it has been wonderful to showcase these improvements and seek a seal of royal approval for the fantastic work our maternity and obstetric teams have achieved.”
“We will continue to progress even further on our improvement journey and will work with our teams, service user groups, healthcare partners and communities to provide a high-quality maternity service for our community.”
