Royal visit to charity founders' birthplace

The Princess Royal will travel to Ellesmere on Wednesday

The Princess Royal is to visit the birthplace of two social activists who founded the Save the Children charity more than a century ago.

Princess Anne, patron of the charity, will travel to Ellesmere on Wednesday, where co-founders Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton were born in the 19th Century.

She will also visit the Jebb Memorial Garden which was created to celebrate their charity's work in 2019.

The visit was in response to a joint invitation from the Jebb family, the charity's Ellesmere branch and the Ellesmere Sculpture Initiative volunteer group, Shropshire Council said.

Eglantyne Jebb was born in Ellesmere

A spokesperson for the group behind the Jebb Garden community project said they were "delighted" and "greatly honoured" that the Princess Royal had chosen to visit the town.

The garden marks the beginning of the Ellesmere Sculpture Trail and features artworks, including an abstract sculpture representing the sisters.

Ms Jebb and her sister set up Save the Children in 1919 to help feed children left starving in mainland Europe at the end of World War One.

She later established the charity's international headquarters in Geneva and was involved with the League of Nations - the forerunner of the United Nations - which adopted her Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1924.

Ms Jebb died in the city in 1928, following a stroke at age of 52.

Gemma Sherrington, interim chief executive of Save the Children UK, said the sisters' "lifelong dedication" to campaign and advocate for children’s rights was the reason the charity existed today.

"We are delighted that Save the Children’s Patron, the Princess Royal, will be visiting the garden and their birthplace," she added.

"We are always incredibly grateful for the Princess Royal’s support,"