Crowds cheer Prince Charles as he visits Ludlow (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Crowds in Ludlow cheer special visitor

11:46am Thursday 20th September 2012 in News By Adrian Kibbler

WHAT could be better for a busy member of the royal family during a hard day on the road than a drink of Ludlow’s best ale?

That is exactly what the Prince of Wales enjoyed during a visit to the town on Monday.

“It was a half of Ludlow Gold and I told him that it was organic,” said Mike Sargent, the cellar man at the Church Inn.

“The prince told me that he liked organic food and was aware that there were many micro breweries in the area.”

Prince Charles spent two hours in Ludlow, during which time he met wellwishers in the Market Square before visiting the historic St Laurence’s Church and the site of the planned Jubilee Garden near the Reader’s House.

Juliana Ferguson, who lives in the town, was another of the people to meet the heir to the throne during his walkabout.

“The prince asked me about the children who were with me and if they were related,” she said. “I have met him once before when he came to Hereford with the late Princess Diana, but that was a long time ago.”

Someone else who was seeing the prince for the second time was Ludlovian Lee Evans.

“I saw him when he rode a horse in the Clun Cup at Ludlow racecourse in the 1970s,” he said. “The prince complimented me on my memory and told me that a couple of days later the unfortunate horse died under him.”

But it was not only locals who met the royal visitor.

Jackie Jones, of Dudley, came to the town and also received a royal kiss.

“I think he is lovely. It is the first time I have met him and it was well worth it,” she said.

Maureen Gregg and Richard Whittington, of Somerset, were given a special reason to remember their holiday in Ludlow when the prince spoke to them.

“We had not even known that he was coming so it was a real surprise,” said Maureen.

During his visit to St Laurence’s Church, Shaun Ward, who is leading the Heritage Lottery restoration bid, explained what is being planned and William Lloyd-Kitchen described the work of the church’s conservation trust.

The royal visitor demonstrated a hint of his enthusiasm for gardening when he took up a pair of shears to make the first cut of grass in what will be the town’s Jubilee Garden.

John Nah, former chairman of Ludlow Civic Society, told the prince that the site had been saved from development to provide a community facility.

Gardener Nicki Lewis- Smith showed plans and explained what the garden will look like.

The prince said that he looked forward to coming back to see the work when it is finished.

Hundreds of people who welcomed him to the town, including school children waving Union Jack flags, had witnessed a special end to a Jubilee summer that started in driving rain but ended with a beautiful late summer day. THE Prince of Wales left Ludlow with more than just memories.

He was presented with a silver spoon designed and made by a local business that tries to live up to Prince Charles’s environmental concerns.

LA Jewellery not only provided the prince with a memento of his visit but also made a contribution to the charity that Ludlow’s mayor Tony Pound is supporting.

A replica of the spoon that Coun Pound gave to the prince will be auctioned to raise money for the WRVS.