A charity backed by the Duchess of Cambridge is set to close. The Art Room – which helps boost the confidence and self-esteem of children through art therapy – will close its doors in March due to financial pressures. The Duchess has been a patron of The Art Room, which is based in Oxford, since 2012 and will no doubt be sad to hear the news of its closure.
WATCH: The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at the LEYF Stockwell Gardens nursery
Parent charity Place2Be confirmed in a statement that the charity was no longer sustainable financially, "particularly in an environment where school budgets are under pressure". The Art Room employs 34 staff.
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Kate Middleton at Stockwell Gardens Nursery
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The Duchess of Cambridge is very passionate about children's health, which she certainly proved on Wednesday when she visited Stockwell Gardens Nursery and Pre-school to help teachers serve breakfast to the pupils.
While there, the royal mum learned about the importance of nutritious food for a child's development as part of her Early Years initiative. Kate launched a landmark online survey last week, '5 Big Questions on the Under Fives,' which aims to spark a UK-wide conversation on raising the next generation and will run until 21 February. The Duchess launched the survey during visits to MiniBrum at ThinkTank, Birmingham Science Museum, Ely and Careau Children's Centre in Cardiff and HMP Send near Woking during a 24-tour of the UK.
Over the past eight years, Kate has spent time meeting with families across the country and hearing about the issues they deal with day-to-day, in addition to speaking with academics, experts, organisations and practitioners. In May 2018, the Duchess convened a steering group of experts to focus on how to bring about positive, lasting change in this area.
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