HRH Princess Royal visit

HRH The Princess Royal is to boldly go on a mission into space - well, the National Space Centre in Leicester. The Centre is the brainchild of the University and was co-founded by the University.

Her Royal Highness is to visit the National Space Centre on 7 March to meet over 600 school children on educational days out to the Centre, as well as students participating in a Women in Science and Engineering workshop and attendees of a Women in Space networking event.

The University is closely associated with educational and outreach programmes at the Centre and is currently leading the ambitious initiative to develop Space Park Leicester, a global hub and collaborative community based on space and space-enabled technologies adjacent to the National Space Centre.

As part of a visit to Leicestershire, The Princess Royal will also visit the Livestock Market Building in Melton Mowbray and the Leicester Royal Infirmary in order to formally open the newest and biggest Emergency Department in the country. Building work on the £48m project began in 2015 and the department opened its doors to its first patients on Wednesday 26 April 2017. More information is available here.

The team at the National Space Centre have tried to create something unique and memorable for Her Royal Highness to see and do during her day.

The Princess Royal will firstly visit the Centre’s iconic Rocket Tower, where she will be introduced to women who work in the space sector. These women are looking at ways to mentor girls and young women, to help bolster numbers in the field and highlight the array of career and educational opportunities available within the growing industry.

Members of the party will then join school children participating in a rocket workshop, prior to a tour of artefacts from UK Astronauts, University honorary graduate Tim Peake and Helen Sharman, with the Centre’s Curator.

The visit will culminate with The Princess Royal talking to students in the National Space Academy Science Lab, who will be participating in a Women in Science Engineering masterclass.

Malika Andress, Head of Marketing at the National Space Centre said: “We are delighted that The Princess Royal has accepted our invitation to visit the National Space Centre. We hope to showcase a real array of workshops, masterclasses and educational facilities during her time with us. Her patronage of organisations dedicated to science and engineering has made a real difference, so we hope she not only enjoys her visit, but can also see the educational impact the Centre is making within the UK.”