The King was welcomed by refugees and nursery pupils waving homemade flags as he visited a community food bank in Alloa. The Gate provides support to people facing homelessness and food insecurity.
Charles was greeted by refugees from Turkey and Syria and was given an enthusiastic hug by the first woman he met on his walkabout in Clackmannanshire. He also joked about ageing with one volunteer who is of a similar age.
Wearing traditional Scottish dress including a kilt, he arrived by helicopter from Dumfries House, East Ayrshire and was then driven to the community centre in Alloa where he was greeted by crowds shouting “God save the King”.
He met trustees and volunteers at The Gate, which helped almost 4,500 people in the Wee County last year and provided around 200 food parcels per month, and admired the sponge cakes on offer at the community cafe.
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Upon meeting volunteer Hugh Grant, secretary of local refugees charity Forth Valley Welcome, the 76-year-old King told him: “You are not going to be 75 – it’s bad enough when you get to 76, it’s slightly alarming. You don’t stop, do you?”
Once a Labour bastion, Clackmannanshire has been a bellwether for political opinion in central Scotland and has been dominated by the SNP for years. Depute leader Keith Brown has been the local MSP since 2011, although Labour won the Westminster seat back from the Nats in the 2024 General Election.
King Charles III eyes the home baking during a visit to The Gate charity in Alloa, Clackmannanshire
(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
He later met a Turkish man who told him that his Syrian wife is pregnant. During his walkabout, Charles was greeted by a group of nursery children with homemade crowns and flags, who had been practising curtsies. Emma Hunter, four, said: “I made a smiley face for my crown. We’ve been on the bus to get here.” Another, Iona Trainer, four, said: “We made the crowns this morning.”
Rura Huggan, also four, had been practising the Bonnie Banks Of Loch Lomond in anticipation of the visit and sang it while waiting for the King. However, Cameron McKay, who is also four, said the most exciting part of the day was getting the bus. Nursery manager Jodie McCutcheon said: “We have been learning about the Royal Family and watched videos of the Queen.”
Part-time cook Elizabeth Agate, 66, presented the King with a scone and a millionaire’s slice and told him that she used to see him at the races in her hometown of Ascot. She said Charles replied: “Well I never.” Ms Agate said: “Anyone and everyone comes in, which is lovely.”
The king gets a hug from a well-wisher as he met the public in Alloa
(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
Charles met representatives from charities which had received a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service or a King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Mary Laing, 66, chairman of the Alloa Development Group, said: “It was so lovely, we are so proud of what we do and we were the first people in Scotland to receive the King’s Award.
“It is so nice to get appreciated. We are doing the best we can. During the lockdown we were feeding 32,000 people, separate from The Gate.”
Founders of Tullibody History Group, Chris Calder, 80, and Rita Craig, 79, said it was the first time a King had visited in around a century. Mrs Craig said: “It’s probably a century at least – certainly not in my lifetime. He was very nice when we met him.”
Youngsters with homemade crowns and flags had been practising for the visit
(Image: Jane Barlow-WPA Pool)
The Gate founder, Evelyn Paterson said the visit was “the best thing that’s ever happened to us”. The charity provides around 75,000 meals per year and supports four satellite food larders in the region.
Mrs Paterson said that of the 90 volunteers, some had come from the client base and some of the 12 members of staff had progressed from voluntary roles to paid employment. She said: “The King’s visit has been the best thing that’s ever happened to us. We set up to try and relieve poverty. There’s pockets of deprivation in this area, it used to be a very affluent town.”
Despite the enthusiastic welcome, a handful of protestors staged a demonstration with banners and slogans including ‘Not My King’. There appeared to be no more than four people at the protest.
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