THE royal seal of approval was given by the Princess Royal as she joined in the celebrations for Dorothy House's 40th birthday today (June 21).

Princess Anne, who has supported the hospice since 1987, arrived at their Winsley headquarters by helicopter shortly before 12.30pm to greet patients, carers, volunteers and its supporters.

During her afternoon visit she was shown around the hospice's birthday exhibition which highlighted the mission of the hospice from its conception by Prue Dufour in 1976, up until present day. 

At the garden party she said: "It is a pleasure to join you and it is entirely appropriate you should celebrate 40 years of pioneering activity.

"I do not think there will be any doubt that what you offer in terms of quality of care and support will always be needed.

"This is an opportunity to thank you. It has been a pleasure to be part of that journey and I hope I will be there to see many of the changes you go through.

"But it is even better to see you celebrate and admire the importance of what you have done and the extraordinary levels of support you have created so I thank you all for coming." 

Also in attendance was widow Michelle Russell, including her two children Imogen, nine, and Ben, seven, whose husband Mark spent three years at the hospice before dying of cancer in 2013.

"I would not have made it through the last five years without their love, care and support - it has made life worth living," she said.

"Mark would have definitely have been proud of us. We have raised over £15,000 for the hospice. When he died I said I would raise enough money to cover a day's running costs of this place (£9,000). They are very special."

On meeting Princess Anne, Imogen said: "She was very funny and kind and I really liked speaking to her - she made me feel happy and special."

Dorothy House Chief Executive, John Davies, added: "She is awesome. I am a royalist, I am a huge fan of her and her work, she has been fantastic to us. She creates an ambiance around her, she is very special."

War veteran and Dorothy House supporter Patrick Conner, 91, said: "I am £100 short of raising £17,000 for the hospice so when I spoke to Princess Anne I asked her in a jokey way for £100 and she said, 'Unfortunately not today'."

Day-nurse Katrina Edwards, who has worked at the hospice for 16 years, said: "Me and co-ordinator Jane Bidwell spoke to her and she was a lovely and very warm person. She made you feel at ease and very welcome. It was an honour to meet her."