Camilla Parker-Bowles tucked into vanilla bean cake and a cup of tea with care leavers at a Barnardo's Wellbeing Hub.

Barnardo's Royal Patron, The Duchess of Cornwall visited Barnardo's wellbeing hub, designed to provide therapeutic support to children and young people with disabilities, in Ilford yesterday (February 21).

During her visit she cut a celebratory ribbon to mark the opening of a new therapeutic sensory space funded by businessman Asif Ansari and his wife Sarah.

The Duchess also met with a group of care leavers who showed her proposed designs for a colourful drop-in space at the hub on Granville Road over tea and cake baked by 20-year-old Zhane Decembre.

Barnardo’s Redbridge Leaving Care service, run in partnership with Redbridge Council, supported 238 care leavers last year.

In England 21 per cent of young people leave care as young as 16.

A Barnardo’s study suggested that nearly half of England’s 26,340 care leavers may suffer with mental health problems and that one in four had faced a mental health crisis since leaving care.

During her visit, The Duchess of Cornwall took part took in an arts and crafts session with a group of young carers.

Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: "It is a real honour to show our Royal Patron, The Duchess of Cornwall how our expert workers support some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Ilford and around the UK.

"Some of these children have huge responsibilities, spending up to 30 hours a week caring for a parent or sibling. Others are adjusting to adult life after being in local authority care, and don’t have a family of their own to support them.

"Services like Barnardo’s Wellbeing Hub and our new sensory room help young people overcome past trauma and cope with challenging circumstances, so they can go on to lead successful adult lives."

The Duchess was given a guided tour of the hub by Mr Khan and met Barnardo’s London director Lynn Gradwell, the Mayor of Redbridge, Councillor Debbie Kaur-Thiara and Asif and Mrs Ansari, who donated funds for the new sensory room.

Mr Ansari said: "It was great to see the sensory room in use for the first time and I hope this room can make a big difference not just for the children, but for their families and staff alike.

"To see a child being able to benefit from the state-of-the-art equipment was humbling, and I invite fellow Barnardo’s supporters to come and visit the project with a view to supporting future initiatives."