Kate Middleton meets families at children’s hospice as she helps plant garden

‘You show such resilience and bravery. You’re such an inspiration to us all,’ duchess tells family at hospice

The Duchess of Cambridge meets families during a visit to The Nook in Framlingham Earl, Norfolk, which is one of the three East Anglia Children's Hospices (PA)

The Duchess of Cambridge spent time with families at a children‘s hospice while helping them to create a new garden.

Towards the end of Children’s Hospice Week, the duchess met families from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) on Thursday.

Catherine, who is a keen gardener, helped them to plant a garden at The Nook, one of EACH’s purpose-built hospices, situated near Norwich.

The duchess used plants that had been bought during a recent trip she made to Fakenham Garden Centre near her Norfolk home of Anmer Hall.

The 38-year-old worked with a volunteer gardener, staff and two families to create a design for a large patio area at the hospice.

The Duchess of Cambridge meets Sonny Saunders and his family, including mother Kelly and father Jordan during a visit to The Nook in Framlingham Earl, Norfolk, which is one of the three East Anglia Children’s Hospices (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

During the visit, Catherine spoke to six-year-old Sonny Pope-Saunders and his family, including mother Kelly and father Jordan.

Sonny was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February, shortly after his birthday.

Thursday marked the first time the Pope-Saunders family had visited The Nook, having previously been unable to due to the pandemic.

Sonny’s mother said that the duchess spoke about how her children are currently having a sunflower-growing competition at home, which “Louis is winning, much to George’s annoyance”.

The Duchess of Cambridge meets Liam and Lisa Page and baby Connor (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

Catherine told the family that she is “always so blown away by families” like theirs, “particularly having to go through all of this in lockdown”.

“You show such resilience and bravery. You’re such an inspiration to us all,” she said.

“More people in the country should meet families like you, there’s a huge amount of change for you all to take on and you have coped fantastically.”

The Duchess of Cambridge also met Liam and Lisa Page and their son, Connor. The three-month-old was born on 5 March with severe brain damage.

Speaking to the family, the royal said: “Going through lockdown at the same time, when you can’t see your loved ones, you can’t share with people – there aren’t other families necessarily here that you can share your experience with.”

Tracy Rennie, acting chief executive for EACH, explained that Catherine was given a brief to include plants with strong smells and bright colours when creating the patio garden with the families.

“She was absolutely prepared to get her hands dirty – she didn’t need the gardening gloves we offered her – and even plunged her hands into the earth with that massive engagement ring on!” Ms Rennie said.

The duchess re-potted a large sunflower that she donated to the hospice in tribute to Fraser Delf, who died in January this year at the Milton hospice in Cambridge at the age of nine.

Catherine and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall recently spoke to Fraser’s family on a video call.

The Duchess of Cambridge helps to pot plants and herbs during a visit to The Nook (Joe Giddens/PA Wire)

While gardening at The Nook, the royal taught Sonny and his siblings, 11-year-old Star and eight-year-old Hudson, how to loosen plants from their pots before replanting them.

She gave each child sunflower seeds, encouraging them to plant their own.

The sunflower is a symbol of hospice care ”representing love, admiration, loyalty, positivity and strength”, Douglas Macmillan Hospice states.

In a recent message shared for Children’s Hospice Week, the Duchess of Cambridge paid homage to the “amazing staff” who work at children’s hospices across the UK.

“The care and nurture that you provide children and families in the most unimaginable circumstances is just awe inspiring,” she said.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to all those families out there who are caring for and looking after a child with a life-limiting illness. You do the most extraordinary job and I know it’s particularly hard at the moment so my thoughts go out you all.”

During her recent visit to Fakenham Garden Centre, Catherine expressed that she is missing members of her family in lockdown, stating: “I’ve yet to see my family as they’re about three hours away in Berkshire, so I haven’t seen them and I miss them.”