RoSPA celebrates centenary at Buckingham Palace

The event, which was joined by the Duke of York and Princess Eugenie, was attended by 3500 RoSPA staff, volunteers, and supporters. The day provided an opportunity for the Duke to meet some of the key players in RoSPA's 100 years of accident prevention and to discuss the challenges that still remain in saving lives and reducing injuries.

RoSPA has the Patronage of The Queen, and was granted permission by Her Majesty to hold the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace as the pinnacle of the charity's centenary programme. Attendees included Olympic Gold rowing medallist James Cracknell, an ambassador for the charity, Mike Nixon, treasurer at SGUK and HSE's Bob Rajan (pictured).

RoSPA's humble beginnings began on 1 December 1916 when, at a public meeting at London's Caxton Hall, it was decided to elect a London 'Safety First' Council to tackle the "alarming increase in traffic accidents, and the direct connection therewith of the restricted street lighting which had been necessitated by the War conditions." Since then the organisation has continued to change attitudes to safety, with groundbreaking campaigns, especially on the roads and in workplaces. As a result of RoSPA's tireless campaigns, there have been big falls in the numbers of people killed or injured in accidents.

Errol Taylor, RoSPA’s deputy chief executive, said: “Our centenary provides a valuable opportunity to look back, take stock and celebrate successes such as the significant reductions in accidental death and injury on our roads and in our workplaces, and we were pleased to be able to highlight some of our historical highlights to The Duke. However, we are also looking ahead to the challenges that remain within accident prevention – particularly in light of rising accidental death and injury figures in our homes and leisure time.

“RoSPA wouldn’t have made it to 100 years if it wasn’t for the charity’s dedicated staff, and as an Investors In People Gold Standard holder, we were pleased to demonstrate to His Royal Highness our commitment to the development and retention of our most important assets – our people – from apprentices through to those who have served for many decades.”