The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall witnessed first-hand recovery efforts being carried out by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Pakistan. The Prince, who is also the President of the British Red Cross, saw livelihoods and health activities and met PRCS staff and volunteers during a visit to the remote quake-affected town of Pattika in AJK. The Royal couple also visited a basic health unit, supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where they met patients, lady health workers and local staff. During the visit, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall walked down in Pattika’s streets, where piles of rubble still lie as a reminder of the destruction, which killed over 1,600 people in this town alone and injured 1,600 more. The Prince and The Duchess were also shown a herd of cattle, which were being prepared for distribution to assist families as part of the livelihoods recovery programme. By the end of the year, 2,000 dairy cows and calves are expected to be distributed among families in 100 villages in Neelam Valley in AJK. The Prince, also chatted at-length with locals, who have been receiving animal husbandry training through the ICRC and the PRCS. The Prince and the Duchess were introduced to the Mr. Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, Chairman PRCS, Mr. M. Ilyas Khan, Director Operations and Mr. Nawaz Beg, Chairman AJK State Branch. Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, who accompanied the couple on their trip said The Prince’s visit was much more than being symbolic. He said: “We are delighted The Prince and The Duchess have come to Pakistan to recognize the courage and resilience of the millions of people whose lives were devastated by last year’s earthquake”. “From the moment the earthquake struck, the whole Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and especially Pakistan Red Crescent staff and volunteers, have been working directly with the affected communities”, he added. “One year on, their continued presence in these disaster-prone areas is helping create communities that will be better prepared to withstand and recover from natural disasters... We know from experience that recovery on this scale will take many years, but the Red Cross and Red Crescent is committed to being there for the long term,” he added. .