Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, has officially opened a new headquarters for Scripture Union, the Christian children's charity seeking new ways to reach out to the young and unchurched.
The Prince opened the new offices in Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, England yesterday. The move comes as the charity celebrates its 150<sup>th anniversary and launches an innovative new videogame designed to help children aged 8-11 engage with the story of the Bible.
The charity is also launching a new campaign, titled 'the 95', an outreach movement designed to reach the estimated 95 per cent of British children who do not regularly attend church.
The Prince unveiled a plaque marking the opening. He said: "Thank you very much indeed for inviting me to come and visit your brand new offices and I'm delighted the move has been a positive one for what you're trying to do.
'I wish you the best of luck, not only for your 150th anniversary, but also the challenge that you're trying to do in reaching that 95 per cent. I have great appreciation for all of the Scripture Union team, for the work that you do and continue to do.'
The new building will serve as a hub to provide 'strategic support, vision and resources' for those connected to the work of Scripture Union. During his visit, the Prince was given a tour of the new building and met with staff and schoolchildren that the charity works with.
He was also shown Scripture Union's new videogame, Guardians of Ancora, an app in which 'Bible stories are brought to life through the game as children enter and experience biblical stories in an authentic 3D world'. The tool is designed to help churches, parents and teachers to engage children aged 8-11 with the message of the Bible. The charity hopes that by 2020, 18 million children worldwide will be able to 'discover Jesus and engage with the Bible' through the app.
Scripture Union's other activities include schools and sports ministry, and the charity, founded in 1867, organises faith-based camps and holidays for children and teenagers.
National director Tim Hastie-Smith said: 'We hugely enjoyed welcoming the Earl of Wessex to Milton Keynes today to officially open our new National office. An old friend of Scripture Union, HRH's passion for work with children and young people, rooted in his leadership of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme, was infectious and he loved meeting both our staff and some of the teenagers we work with. We were encouraged that he left excited by SU's great vision for the future.'
