Dovecote Park were delighted to receive a Princess Royal Training award in November 2018, which was presented to their Training Manager, Damien McKnight, by HRH the Princess Royal at St. James' Palace.  Following this, an invitation was extended to HRH to visit their site in Yorkshire.  The visit took place on the 7th July 2020 and was her first official engagement following the COVID-19 pandemic.

HRH was introduced to Chief Executives Richard Canvin and David Gunner and Managing Director Andrew McAllister by the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner.  She then enjoyed a full tour of the entire site, following the beef process from start to finish, meeting the Management teams, and paying particular attention to the apprentice training programme.  She met with the current apprentices and took the opportunity to talk to them about the structure of the training course and their aspirations for a future in the butchery profession.  Following this, she met and talked to a range of other Dovecote team members involved in training on site and then unveiled a plaque in recognition of the company's ongoing commitment to training and skills development at their Yorkshire site.

Andrew McAllister, Managing Director said "We were very privileged to welcome HRH the Princess Royal on site today as recognition for the impact our approach has had on our business.  I feel we are reaping the rewards of our sustained commitment to training and our investment in our employees.

The development of the butchery apprenticeship programme has been central to our success, but the long-term planning, overall training structure and employee development ethos in all areas of the business are also what makes us stand out in the business.  We couldn't be prouder of our team."

For further details on this Press Release, please contact Sharon Peibst, Executive Assistant (sharon.peibst@dovecotepark.co.uk).