On Friday 28 February, His Royal Highness visited the Luton campus where he was welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Mrs Susan Lousada, and given a tour around the immersive new facilities – ‘Brewster Square’ – designed to replicate real-world scenarios that give students an insight into their future careers in health and social care.

Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was greeted by Professor Andrew Church, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, and Simon Yun-Farmborough, Chair of the University’s Board of Governors.

During the tour, His Royal Highness spoke with staff and students who have been using the facilities. They emphasised the importance of the spaces, which include a mock hospital ward and simulated living spaces, in building student confidence and providing them with a safe space to practice and develop their skills.

The party also paused by the mural of Annie Brewster, where Professor Church explained the significance of the SIM Street’s namesake as one of Britain’s first Afro-Caribbean nurses.

Following the tour, His Royal Highness met local NHS and local authority leaders, including David Carter (CEO of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), Manjeet Gill (Chair of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board), and Neill Moloney (Chief Executive Officer of the East of England Ambulance Service) to discuss the facilities and how they will create a pipeline of career-ready graduates to help boost the local region.

Professor Rebecca Bunting, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, said: “It is a great honour to welcome His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester to our Luton campus. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase our state-of-the-art health simulation spaces and to highlight the important role they play in developing a skilled and confident future workforce. We are extremely proud to collaborate with the NHS and local authorities to ensure our graduates are career-ready and equipped to make a profound impact in their chosen fields.”

His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Mrs Susan Lousada added: “It was with great pleasure that I was able to join His Royal Highness at this outstanding addition to the teaching facilities at our University. They are quite spectacular and will provide state of the art opportunities to train the health and social care professionals of the future. Thank you all at the University of Bedfordshire for their warm welcome.”