Duchess of York a hit as she visits lunch club at St Matthew's Church in Burnley

Mourning the recent loss of Jean, his wife of 66 years, the duchess made a bee-line for Colin when she called in to the lunch club at St Matthew’s Church in Burnley yesterday part of her tour of the borough. “She was lovely,” said Colin. “She asked me all about myself and my wife and our lives and I told her I have lived in the same house not far from the church for 66 years.”

Colin’s son Tim, who is also his carer, said meeting the duchess had been a real boost for his father who also suffered a stroke on the day his wife died. Tim said: “My dad comes to the lunch club every week, it has really helped him and it was wonderful to meet the duchess.”

It was also an unforgettable day for Wendy Pound when her four-year-old granddaughter Violet presented the duchess with a bouquet of flowers as she arrived at the church. Wendy said: “The duchess was really interested in our lives and she asked all about my children and grandchildren. “We had a really good chat with her, I feel like she is a friend now.”

Two years ago ‘Sarah’s Trust’ supported the church by providing 500 gift bags that were distributed to children on the Stoops and Griffin Estates.

Last year the charity provided £1,500 to support the food projects at the church and this year Sarah’s charity has funded a trip for families to go to the pantomime at the Thwaites Empire in Blackburn for the performance of Beauty and The Beast. The duchess became involved when she saw Fr Alex Frost break down on TV as he spoke about how many families were in need in the Burnley area.

Speaking at the church yesterday the duchess said: “It’s great to see that in Burnley people are showing kindness and support to each other.

“When I saw Fr Alex on TV I couldn’t let a day go by without doing something to help, it’s the right thing to do.”

Esther Gregory-Witham, one of the volunteers at the lunch club, said that help from Sarah’s Trust means they can provide extra treats for people in the community. Esther said: “It’s just wonderful to welcome the duchess today. Support from people like her means we can do so much more for people in the community and this is not just a one off visit, the duchess is providing continued help and funding for us.

“The lunch club is a safe place for so many people to come to. It’s a lifeline for them.”

Other places the duchess visited included Padiham Green Primary School, the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) School of Medicine at Victoria Mill, Burnley Football Club to learn about Burnley FC’s work in the community, and the Building Bridges in Burnley project, a partnership of faith organisations working to promote dialogue between communities and achieve equality and social justice.

She also dropped into Down Town community shop, advice centre and community kitchen, Holy Trinity Primary School and the Ghausia Mosque where she met community leaders and representatives from Building Bridges.