Last updated at 12:09, Saturday, 12 June 2010

FRONT line staff at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven were the first to be congratulated by the Prince of Wales when he made his visit to the hospital,

• VIDEO: Prince Charles at St Nicholas' Church

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Nurses and doctors who worked flat out treating the injured victims of gunman Derrick Bird’s murderous rampage through Copeland were the first group of staff and emergency services groups to meet Prince Charles on Friday.

“He praised us for doing a marvellous job,” said accident and emergency staff nurse Vicky McLukie, from Kells.

“I covered the whole back shift. It wasn’t until I got home that certain things started to hit home. At the time you just got on with the job you had to do, put things to the back of your mind. It’s such a brilliant team that we all work in. It’s an honour to be able to meet the Prince of Wales. He praised us for doing marvellous job.”

WCH accident and emergency staff was specialist doctor in emergency medicine Karen Greene, from St Bees.

“I was at home initially and got called in and I was here when the first casualties were brought in,” she said.

“We had a such a fantastic team to support each other, we are used to working when the chips are down.

“It certainly was hectic but a lot of it was that we didn’t know what was happening and the information coming through from the scenes was very sparse.”

Marie Rooney, support officer in Accident & Emergency, said: “I am very proud and honoured that he came, and he’s lovely.”

“It has been hard and touched every family. Someone knows one of the victims or at least someone who was injured. It’s affected everybody.”

Prince Charles also met the ambulance service, mountain rescue and firefighters and visited one of the wards to talk to the one remaining patient who is recovering from the shootings.

No further details were given but after a 40-minute visit he was driven to Whitehaven to meet the grieving families of some of the other victims. It was a private visit.

The Prince was greeted by a round of applause from the crowds that had gathered along the streets of Whitehaven as his car pulled up at the town’s St Nicholas’s Church, just after 6.30pm.

Before going into the church he went over to meet the crowds, shaking their hands and asking people how they were coping with the aftermath of the shootings.

He then talked to representatives from each of the eight villages and towns where Bird targeted his victims.

Dressed in a simple grey suit, the Prince tried to raise the spirits of those he spoke to by offering his admiration to the people of Copeland.

He met Eleanor Hogg, chair of Egremont town council, who said he seemed to know the people of Cumbria and has described them as extraordinary.

The Prince signed the book of condolences in the church, which was set up immediately after last week’s tragedies. His message simply said: In Deepest Sympathy, Charles.

He then spoke to others in the church, including representatives from the NHS, British Red Cross, Copeland MP Jamie Reed and Elaine Woodburn, the leader of Copeland Council.

The Rev Bannister said: “Whenever we have tragedies in the country, the Royal Family play a critical role in helping the community come together.

“I hope that yesterday’s visit will for the people of Copeland make a kind of closure and help the community move forward.”
Winifred Wilson, Mary Bright, Rodney Towers and Ellen and Gordon Trevaskis met the prince and said that they were delighted the he had taken the time to visit the town.

Mrs Bright said: “It was just really lovely of him to come here and came to see us.”

Mayor Mike McVeigh said: “A royal visit was something the community needed, it’s all part of the healing, it is appreciated that the Prince of Wales has come along to share our grief.”

First published at 18:00, Friday, 11 June 2010
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk