Queen learns about mental health during base visit

Queen Camilla spent a blustery afternoon learning how armed forces personnel and their families look after their mental health during a visit to a base in North Yorkshire.

The Queen was presented with flowers by nursery school children after arriving at RAF Leeming, near Northallerton, on an aircraft on Friday.

She toured a "wellness garden" that was created by air crews, who have planted vegetables and keep chickens and bees.

The Queen told one family during her visit that fresh eggs always tasted "much better".

She also watched a flypast after meeting representatives from 11 Squadron of the Qatar Emiri Air Force.

The base staff have been training Qatari personnel alongside RAF pilots, a signals unit, a cybersecurity team and a drone targeting unit.

The Queen was shown some of the RAF's latest technology by the station commander, Group Captain Paul Hamilton.

She then met a technician and a corporal who had helped to design the garden.

The RAF gardeners rescued hens from a battery farm, added several rare breeds of chicken and began selling eggs through an honesty box.

A poly-tunnel is where tomatoes, courgettes, peppers and herbs are grown.

The Queen spoke to radar engineer Kyle Hewitt and his three children about the vegetables grown on the base. She told them that carrots tasted "much better when pulled up and cooked" compared to shop-bought vegetables.

Radar technician Liam Barsby, who also helped to organise the wellness project, spoke about the mental benefits of the allotment.

He said: "It makes things a lot better, gives you a lot of things to do in the week and is really positive for your wellbeing."

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