Prince William and Princess Kate rounded off a whistle-stop visit to Northern Ireland today with a visit to Carrickfergus.
Several thousand people packed the town’s seafront on Thursday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the couple on their first visit to Northern Ireland as HRH Prince and Princess of Walles.
They exchanged handshakes and fist-bumps with schoolchildren who had waited for several hours to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
It was their last official stop on their trip to the province where they visited a youth charity based in Carrickfergus which offers support services to local young people experiencing social or emotional difficulties.
Carrick Connect works closely with the young people it supports to help them remain on the right track and feel empowered to make positive life choices.
During their visit, The Prince and Princess also learned about some of the projects which Carrick Connect are currently implementing in the community, including a mentoring service created to help young people develop strategies for coping with life.
The couple also met the charity’s team of mentors and some of the young people they support to hear more about the positive impact that the mentoring service is having on their lives and future plans.
In June, the organisation launched its new ‘Feel Good Hub’ – a project designed, organised and driven by young people aged 18-25 who are supported by Carrick Connect.
Promoting physical and mental wellbeing the project focusses on delivering activities that make other young people feel good, whilst allowing those running the Hub to learn leadership skills, build confidence and resilience, and have a voice in their local community.
The Prince and Princess joined some of the young people behind the Hub taking part in an activity workshop to discuss what they have learnt from the project so far.
The couple kicked off their visit to Northern Ireland with a trip to suicide prevention charity PIPS in north Belfast.
They also took part in a cocktail-making race at a market in Belfast before heading to Carrickfergus.
Belfast Lord Mayor Tina Black and Sinn Féin MP John Finucane were among those who welcomed the royal couple at their first engagement.
PIPS was founded in 2003 following the loss of 14 young people to suicide in Belfast over a short period of time the previous year.
The prince and princess then travelled to Trademarket, a recently opened outdoor street-food and retail market on the Dublin Road.
Upon their arrival the couple were greeted by project director Will Neill and met vendors to hear how the market had benefitted their new businesses.
The pair then took up position either side of the bar for a cocktail-making race to see who would be the quickest at mixing up a drink with William declared the winner.
During their visit, the prince and princess spoke to staff about their work helping people at risk of suicide and self-harm.
They also took part in an art therapy session with some vulnerable children who have been supported by PIPS.
