Speaking at the 25th anniversary of the Learning and Work Institute’s Festival of Learning in her role as Royal Patron, the Princess Royal promoted adult education and the power of knowledge.
Princess Anne spoke about the importance of learning at every age when she said: “I’ve been through several evolutions in terms of organisation in supporting adult learners and it goes a long way back…but it is important that since that period of time there are many more opportunities, there are many more access points, for which to be able to get that message across.
“Lifelong learning is probably understood as meaning exactly that: it is lifelong, it is never too late – it isn’t really too early to start, either.
“Adult learning plays a really vital role in society…it’s good for people, it’s good for your health, self-esteem and if you want more employability. None of those will be the same for individuals. There will always be different reasons for doing it, but I think [that] health and self-esteem is probably common to most people who take part in that learning process.”
Learning and Work Institute chief executive Stephen Evans also gave a speech at the event in which he said: “There’s no such thing as an easy answer to any of the challenges that we face in our lives or as a country. But, actually, learning can be a really big part of tackling most of the challenges we face today.
“We know the power of learning to help improve health and wellbeing, we know the power of learning to help people with their jobs and with their careers, we know the power of learning to bring families and societies together. We know the impact of learning on citizenship…so I think that the Festival of Learning has made a real contribution to celebrating the very best in adult learning.”