Isla, 7, receives Buckingham Palace thank you after Prince Philip's death
A seven-year-old girl from Shropshire has received a thank you note from Buckingham Palace after she sent a handwritten letter to the Queen following the Duke of Edinburgh’s death.
Isla Edwards, a pupil at Old Hall School in Wellington, sent the note to ask the Queen if she could be of any help after Prince Phillip passed away on April 9.
Isla had asked her parents if she could write the letter as she was touched by reports at the time of Prince Philip’s death which talked about how much the Queen would miss her husband who had been at her side for 73 years.
She was delighted to receive a card back from Buckingham Palace to thank her for her “kind words”.
This wasn’t the first time that Isla, who lives in North Shropshire, has taken pencil to paper to reach out to those going through difficult times.
She also wrote to the frontline staff at PRH during the second lockdown and posted boxes of chocolates, tea and coffee to raise their spirits and thank them for all their hard work at the height of the pandemic earlier this year.
She received a letter of acknowledgement from the staff at PRH for her generosity.
Isla’s parents said: “Isla was really keen to do something to help people she saw going through a difficult time and she asked if she could write the letter.
"We saw it as a lovely way for her to be able to express how much she wanted to help and how aware she was of what other people might be going through.
"At a time when children can feel powerless to do anything it made Isla feel like she could make a difference through her small gesture of kindness.”
Isla’s school has launched a handwriting campaign and as part of it, headteacher Martin Stott has encouraged the children to spread a little kindness with a handwritten note.
In a letter to parents and children, Mr Stott said: “I’m sure your handwritten letters will be really appreciated, so do go ahead and make somebody’s day."
He added: "We are very proud of Isla, who has reached out to those she can see are having a tough time and tried to ease that a little by showing she cares and appreciates what others in our community do for us all.
"It was a wonderful gesture and one which I believe will inspire others to remember that a little kindness goes a long way."