'The buzz around here is amazing': Anticipation builds for Royal visit in B.C.'s Capital region
At the Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association in Central Saanich, it was all hands on deck Friday.
“Everybody is excited, the buzz around here is amazing,” said Liz Gagel, executive director of the VTRA.
Fencing is getting a fresh coat of paint, horses are being brushed to look their best and the shovels are out to clean up those horses’ mess.
The reason? They will be receiving a very important visitor this weekend.
“We are hosting her Royal Highness,” said Gagel.
Princess Anne and her husband Vice-Admiral Tim Laurence will spend their weekend touring organizations on Royal duties that are near and dear to their hearts.
“I know that Princess Anne is the patron of therapeutic riding throughout Canada,” said Gagel.
The Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association is a non-profit providing people with disabilities therapeutic horseback riding, including four-year-old Otis Lawson.
“Otis has Mosaic Down syndrome,” said Brett Lawson, the child’s father.
Friday marked Otis’s fourth session. His father says his confidence is soaring and the benefits were seen right away.
“He’s getting a lot of muscle engagement while on the horse that he doesn’t get otherwise,” said Lawson.
Princess Anne will be busy with a number of military-related engagements, including laying a wreath at The God’s Acre Veteran’s Cemetery and attending a Battle Of The Atlantic Commemorative Service at the B.C. legislature. The Royal couple will also be making a stop at the Military Family Resource Centre at CFB Esquimalt.
“(Princess Anne) is very interested in families, especially military family support,” said Jackie Carle, executive director of the centre.
The Military Family Resource Centre helps military families moving into the community after a posting. It also supports military families during a deployment.
“At the end of the day, she’s part of a serving family so she really understands what that means,” said Carle.
Another interest of Princess Anne is food security and community building.
“This is a farm site on top of reclaimed land,” said Alistair Howes, manager of special projects and engagement at FED Urban Agriculture Society.
That urban farm is located in Vic West next to Dockside Green.
Princess Anne will be touring the grounds on Saturday, seeing how the operation grows its food to be sold locally with a portion being donated to other non-profits within the community.
“Princess Anne has a particular interest in trying to figure out how you engage and build community resilience through Urban Projects,” said Howes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.