Royal Watch News

Prince Charles and Camilla visit riot-hit Croydon

Sep 21, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Charles and Camilla

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Croydon yesterday (20.09.12).

The heir to the British throne and his wife visited the area - part of Greater London - shortly after it had been stricken by riots in August last year, and this time returned to see the progress which has been made.

The royals met with shopkeepers, local residents, and members of religious groups to talk about how their lives had been affected and the progress made in the last years.

Charles and Duchess Camilla also met with businesswoman Mary Portas, who is working with Croydon Old Town, after it was named one of 12 Portas Pilot towns in England, and £100,000 in government funding has been pledged to the area.

The trio visited the13th Century Surrey Street market, and sampled local produce.

During the walk they visited Matthews Yard, a small business community hub set up by 32-year-old entrepreneur Saif Bonar in April.

Mr. Bonar said: 'This area of Croydon suffered dreadfully during the riots, but a visit like this shows how far it has come in a short space of time.

'Local business organisations and the council must work together to keep the momentum going and show the world that this corner of South London is a great place to do business, not to mention live and work.'

The prince also sampled a pint of beer from Mark Russell, 29, and Simon Dale, 30, of local The Cronx Brewery.

Mark said the prince had enjoyed his brew, telling BBC News: 'He was very complimentary about it.

'He said he couldn't drink too much but he offered us his best wishes and hoped the pint wouldn't go to waste.'