During a recent holiday with a touring group by bus in Romania Shona and I came across several interesting facets of Romanian history. Among these were (A) the imprint of medieval German Saxon settlements in particular localities dating back to the 12th century and thereafter; (B) the imprint of French architectural and town planning patterns in the capital city of Bucharest -dating back to the mid 19th century and the friendship between the respective rulers of the two countries: and (C) the deep interest shown by Prince Charles in preserving the architectural heritage and life-style of specific Romanian villages and localities, notably Viscri and Valea Zalnului.(information conveyed by our guide Adrian Buracu). SO: here we go with illustrated items on
A = The Prince of Wales’s Foundation Romania …. &
B = The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation (PWCF)
The Prince of Wales’s Foundation Romania (PWFR) was established in 2015 to take forward His Royal Highness’s charitable work in Romania. The Foundation develops a number of projects to support the architectural heritage preservation, farming and sustainable development of the country. The Prince of Wales’s Foundation Romania is a subsidiary of The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation (UK).
What we do
We aim to provide relevant skills to local communities by delivering practical courses. We currently deliver four major programmes: heritage preservation, farming (support for small farmers and producers of artisan food), support for Romania’s wounded soldiers and a veggie plots project which helps local people to grow their own food.
Who we are
The Prince of Wales’s Foundation Romania is governed by the Board of Trustees appointed by The Prince of Wales. Currently the Board of Trustees is formed of Andrew Wright, Paula Wilson, Count Tibor Kalnoky and Shoshana Stewart. The Executive Director is Romanian born Aura Woodward.
Where we work
The registered office of the charity is at The Prince’s House in the UNESCO village of Viscri, Brasov County.
Achievements and Impact
Over the last three years, The Prince of Wales’s Foundation Romania has delivered practical courses and programmes which have benefitted hundreds of families and individuals. We work with local communities to meet their needs and focus on building on their skills and knowledge to improve the quality of their lives.
Our Heritage Preservation Programme provides a unique opportunity to learn restoration techniques which would enable people to secure a job in the sector and help with the wider effort of preserving Romania’s built environment. We continue to engage with farmers and small producers of high value artisan food to help them find new markets and grow their businesses.
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B =The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation (PWCF) group
Founded in 1979 and incorporated in 2008, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation (PWCF) supports the charitable work of His Royal Highness Charles Philip Arthur George Prince of Wales.
The Charitable Foundation has two social enterprise trading subsidiaries, Duchy Originals Limited and AG Carrick Limited. In addition to this, the Charitable Foundation has its own charitable subsidiaries, The Prince of Wales’s Foundation Romania and The Prince’s Countryside Fund. Both in turn have their respective trading entities, Ecologic Transilvania SRL and Countryside Fund Trading Limited.
The work of the Charitable Foundation is two-fold:
- A grant making body that supports a wide range of causes , the primary areas of interest being the built environment, responsible business and enterprise, young people and education, and global sustainability.
- An incubator for initiatives and projects that fall within the Charitable Foundation’s primary areas of interest, mentioned above, such as Accounting for Sustainability.
Sales of ‘Waitrose Duchy Organic’ products provide a donation to the Charitable Foundation. Additionally, profits from the sale of Highgrove products, and from tours of the Gardens at Highgrove, are donated to the Foundation. Further information on the activities of the companies within the PWCF group are available on the subsidiaries page
from = https://www.princeofwalescharitablefoundation.org.uk/about-us
