King Charles beams as he meets football mascot before World Cup finally starts

King Charles beams as he meets football mascot before World Cup finally starts It was cod save the King as Charles met the Mighty Mariner, the mascot of Grimsby Town Football Club at Blundell Park, where the monarch was presented with a customised jersey King Charles beamed on Thursday as he met the Mighty Mariner - the mascot of Grimsby Town Football Club. During a trip to the region, the monarch met local leaders, organisations, businesses and residents helping to shape the future of the town and create opportunities that benefit the wider community. The King travelled to Blundell Park - home of Grimsby Town Football Club, one of England’s oldest professional football clubs - where he joined members of the Our Future collective: local people, organisations and institutions who have come together around a shared ambition for Grimsby and a belief that the people who live in a place are best placed to shape its future. It was here that Charles heard about five ambitious ideas being explored for the future of the town, including around housing, building community leadership and urban greening. While at the club, Charles was surprised to meet the mascot of Grimsby Town FC, the Mighty Mariner, where he was presented with a customised team shirt that read ‘HM King Charles 3’ on the back. Head coach David Artell said of the visit: "There are lots of good people here who are trying to put Grimsby on the map, and it's fantastic to see the King coming to see and to recognise the efforts of everyone involved." Francine Orr, ticket office manager for the football club, laughed with Charles when he met members of staff. She said: “We were briefed on what we should say and what we shouldn’t say, how we should bow and how we should curtsey. “I’ve had it in my brain all morning then he comes up to me… and he shakes my hand and I said ‘All right darling, oh no, I’m so sorry Your Majesty’. He went ‘That’s OK’, and he laughed and he stood back and he went ‘I like being called darling’.” When Charles arrived in Grimsby, he was greeted by hundreds of people who braved the rain to catch a glimpse of the monarch. The King told dozens of well-wishers “I’m so sorry you got so wet”, as he thrilled crowds with an impromptu walkabout in the pouring rain. When he arrived for his visit to a local community hub, Charles chatted to teenagers about boxing, rock climbing, scout badges and cooking as he began a tour of community projects. The King was greeted with cheers as he arrived at the Horizon Youth Zone, before heading inside to tour the state-of-the-art facility chatting to local school children, cadets from the various armed services and scouts. They showed him the centre’s climbing wall, sports hall and training kitchen, where he watched teenagers make pizza muffins as he asked them about how they felt about missing school for the day. “I have my uses,” he joked, as one girl said they had missed their maths lessons. As he toured the sports hall, the King said, “I’m sorry we can’t stop and play some badminton”, before he finished his visit to the centre in the boxing gym where he chatted to youngsters being put through their paces. The King’s second stop in Grimsby was at The CARE Hub, which is a community care and housing organisation designed to provide support to local people by providing a safe and nurturing environment. The centre has been developed by specialist designers who have created a homely atmosphere which feels like a cosy sitting room. Charles met staff and people who have benefited from the hub, including a one-to-one meeting with 26-year-old Liam Atkinson. After the meeting, Mr Atkinson explained how he came to The CARE Hub after his marriage broke down and he developed health problems. He said he lost his house and his job in the space of a year but the project got him back on his feet, and he now has a flat for himself and his three-year-old son. Mr Atkinson said: “They changed my life. All the staff here are absolutely amazing. The help and support is absolutely unbelievable.” Asked about his meeting with the King, he said: “He’s so down to earth. He’s so kind. So considerate. He seemed to care, which is amazing.”