Royal invite for speech and language therapist

The invite camre through the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists of which Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, is the Patron.

A Wolverhampton healthcare professional has been invited to attend a royal garden party.

Charlotte Colesby, service manager for speech and language therapy at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, will attend the event at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

She has been recognised for her work in the specialised field which is close to the Royal Family’s heart, the trust said.

The mum of two grown-up children, who lives in Stourbridge, leads a team of 78 staff and received her invite in thanks for her work on leadership and workforce.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said Ms Colesby. “I see it as a huge honour and I’m blown away by it to be honest. It’s something you don’t expect to happen.”

She said she had bought a new outfit for the occasion as well as an umbrella in case it rains.

She has also been an observer to the cross-party Parliamentary group for speech and language therapists, meeting MPs and peers, which she started before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speech and language therapy came to international prominence after King George VI was famously helped to manage his stammer by a speech therapist from the late 1920s into the mid-1940s.

About 2,000-3,000 guests are expected to attend the gala event.