WREXHAM has been enjoying a royal occasion with the visit of the Queen of Lesotho to the town.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Wrexham, Jim and Elizabeth Kelly, welcomed Queen Masenate Seeiso to lunch at the Guildhall.

Cllr Kelly said: “We were delighted and honoured to host the reception.

“We admire and are inspired by Her Majesty’s work for the people of Lesotho to improve and care for the most vulnerable in the country.

“We hope she enjoyed her visit to Wrexham and takes back many fond memories of Wrexham and Wales.”

The royal guest came to Wrexham on Tuesday as part of a tour of Wales to strengthen existing links between the two countries.

The charity Dolen Cymru has been helping in the development of Lesotho since 1985 and has helped forge strong ties between the countries.

Dolen Cymru creates life changing relationships in education, health and civil society and its patron is Prince Harry.

Queen Masenate Seeiso has been praised for being committed to improving the lives of the people of Lesotho and is visiting schools, cultural and heritage centres and health centres during her visit.

In Lesotho she is patron to the Red Cross Society, SOS Children’s Village, People with Disabilities and the Machabeng International College.

She takes a keen interest in helping vulnerable people with disabilities to be heard within their communities and providing them with special services and facilities to raise their quality of life. She is also a strong advocate of breaking the silence
surrounding HIV/AIDS.

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas has welcomed the strong links between the town and Lesotho.

Mr Lucas has visited Lesotho and has seen the good work carried out by Dolen Cymru.

He said he was delighted to welcome the queen to Wrexham.

During her visit to the area she visited the Maelor School in Penley and heard performances of the national anthem of Lesotho and other African music by the school’s choir.

The school is one of several in the area which exchanges teachers and pupils with Lesotho, backed by the hard work of Dolen Cymru.

Mr Lucas said: “It is not every day that one gets to welcome royalty to Wrexham, especially the queen of a country such as Lesotho.

“However, there is a strong and growing link between our two countries, not least among our young people. I was delighted to meet the queen and for her to see our town.

“These links are of great benefit to everyone involved, in Wales and Lesotho. In Wrexham, there is a greater understanding of the challenges facing the developing world and of the ambition that the people of Lesotho have.

“The links are also a great tribute to the work of Dolen Cymru, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. I wholeheartedly wish it all the best and look forward to many more decades of its excellent work.”