King meets refugees and nursery children on visit to Alloa community food bank

The King was welcomed by refugees and nursery pupils waving homemade flags as he visited a community food bank.

Charles visited The Gate, a community resource in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, which provides support to people facing homelessness and food insecurity.

He was greeted by refugees from Turkey and Syria, and was given an enthusiastic hug by the first woman he met on his walkabout on Thursday.

He joked about ageing with one volunteer who is of a similar age.

<em><em>Charles took the time to shake hands with many of those gathered outside The Gate for his visit </em></em>”/><cite class=cite>PA Media</cite></div><figcaption aria-hidden=true><em><em>Charles took the time to shake hands with many of those gathered outside The Gate for his visit </em></em> <cite class=hidden>PA Media</cite></figcaption></figure><p>Wearing traditional Scottish dress including a kilt, Charles arrived by helicopter from Dumfries House, East Ayrshire, and was then driven to the community centre, greeted by crowds shouting “God save the King”, while protesters who were cordoned off from the event shouted: “Not my King.”</p><p>He met trustees and volunteers at The Gate, which helped 4,273 people in Clackmannanshire last year and provided 190 food parcels per month, and admired the sponge cakes on offer at the community cafe.</p><p>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.</p><p>“You don’t stop, do you?”</p><p>He later met a Turkish man who told him that his Syrian wife is pregnant.</p><p>During his walkabout, Charles was greeted by a group of nursery children with homemade crowns and flags, who had been practising curtsies.</p><p>Emma Hunter, four, said: “I made a smiley face for my crown. We’ve been on the bus to get here.”</p><p>Iona Trainer, four, said: “We made the crowns this morning.”</p><p>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.</p><p>However, Cameron McKay, who is also four, said the most exciting part of the day was getting the bus.</p><figure class=wp-block-image><div class=relative><img decoding=async src=https://prod.news.stv.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2605cfd1df0969b931ce90045dc28ebe-1737045406.jpg width=1920 height=1280 srcset= — The King visited The Gate on Thursday PA Media

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.

“We started with five or six food parcels a week and provided 75,000 meals per year.

“We can’t do what we do without the dedication of the volunteers.”

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