A Bournemouth University student had the opportunity to talk to Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla about her work to bring the past to life during a Royal visit to Dorset.
Erin Bishop, who studies BA Archaeology and Anthropology, talked about her work at the Performing the Past project at Hengistbury Head where visitors have the chance to experience prehistoric life by learning a range of ancient skills.
She told the Royal visitors, “We run the Living in the Round project at Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre. We started by building an Iron Age roundhouse and we’ve now branched out to heritage education and events. We’ve engaged over a thousand local students in endangered heritage crafts from all ages and abilities. It is great to have hands-on experience in heritage crafts, it has been amazing to gain these skills, and to know that I can now teach future generations,”
Erin was speaking with Dr Hayden Scott-Pratt, a visiting fellow at Bournemouth University who is also involved in Performing the Past.
The King and Queen were visiting the Corn Exchange in Blandford to celebrate the Harmony Project which brings together organisations across Dorset to work towards a shared vision of health, happiness, and harmony.
Bournemouth University is a leading partner in the project and has set up the BU Harmony Centre in collaboration with The King’s Foundation. The Centre is a key part of the university’s BU2035 strategy and will be used for research to improve people’s wellbeing, reduce conflict, and strengthen communities.
Lord Lieutenant for Dorset Michael Dooley, also a Pro Chancellor at BU, led the visit and introduced the King and Queen to local organisations and guests, including the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra , Coastland College, HealthBus, David Sidwick (Police and Crime Commissioner) and Ian Girling from Dorset Chamber.
Professor Alison Honour, Vice Chancellor and CEO of Bournemouth University spoke to Their Majesties about BU’s commitment to the Harmony Project before introducing them Erin and Hayden.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Bournemouth University to be here and be sharing what we do around His Majesty the King’s philosophy of Harmony, Professor Honour said.
“We have developed a new Harmony Centre with partners across Dorset, and we’ve got some incredible opportunities and plans going forward for our students to have harmony embedded in education and their student experience. His Majesty the King’s philosophy of harmony is a really important part of our education going forward. This is where we connect people and think about the impact we have on our communities,” she added.
