A teacher found herself rubbing shoulders with royalty after she was invited to King Charles III’s Buckingham Palace Garden Party.

Sarah Haworth, the head of curriculum for health and wellbeing, horticulture, family learning, art and humanities at Lancashire Adult Learning received a nomination from Holex, the lead professional body for Adult Community Education and Learning to attend the party last Tuesday. 

Sarah, who took her mother along with her, enjoyed afternoon tea in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, on what turned out to be a lovely May afternoon.

The event took place a mere three days after the King’s Coronation celebrations.

Sarah and her mother had the honour of mingling with the Prince and Princess of Wales William and Kate, as well as many other distinguished guests.

When asked about the once-in-a-lifetime experience, Sarah said: “I felt extremely honoured to be nominated by Holex and receive an invite to attend the garden party. 

“This was an incredible opportunity, and it was wonderful to share it with my mum who is 76 and a huge fan of the Royal Family.

“On the day there were 8,000 attendees who had each been invited in recognition of the positive impact they have made in their community, and it was wonderful to meet some of these people and share stories.

“Attending this event for me, served as a reminder of all the good that happens every day in so many ways and that the world is an incredible place full of kind and selfless people, which can sometimes be hard to focus on with the volume of negative press that can surround us daily.”

Sarah's invitation to the palace was in recognition of her outstanding contributions to adult community education in Lancashire, both through her work at LAL and within National forums.

Deputy principal for curriculum and quality at Nelson and Colne College Group, Tracey Baron said: “Sarah consistently goes above and beyond to bring first steps learning and qualifications for adults across the county.

“The huge impact that Sarah and her team have in contributing to the health and wellbeing agenda of Lancashire County Council and also providing professional development routes for adult returners is phenomenal.”