BELLS Piece Leonard Cheshire Disability service in Hale Road recently welcomed a very special visit from Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

The countess met with staff and residents of the service and had a tour round their facilities.

Bells Piece is a residential home that offers 24-hour support to adults with learning difficulties.

The service has an activities centre onsite offering a range of activities such as gardening, arts and crafts, literacy, IT classes, healthy eating programmes, music and games.

The countess tried her hand at silk painting in Bells Piece’s art studio, and visited the service’s horticulture centre, where residents grow their own produce to be sold in the onsite farm shop and tea room.

After the tour, the Countess celebrated Leonard Cheshire Disability’s 70th anniversary alongside the charity’s chief executive Neil Heslop, Vice Lord Lieutenant Bill Biddell, the Mayor of Waverley, Simon Inchbald and Mayoress Rosie Inchbald, at a tea party.

Anne Lelacheur, service manager at Bells Piece, said: “It was our pleasure to welcome the Countess of Wessex to Bells Piece. The residents really enjoyed meeting her and she took time to talk to everyone and find out about their lives at our service.

"This was a great opportunity to showcase to the local community what we do at Bells Piece”