Prince Charles barracked by hunting protesters

The Prince of Wales was today barracked by anti-hunt protesters following a visit to the headquarters of a helpline for stressed…

The Prince of Wales was today barracked by anti-hunt protesters following a visit to the headquarters of a helpline for stressed farmers.

Prince Charles spent around 45-minutes chatting with staff at the Rural Stress Helpline based in Wrexham, North Wales.

But as the Prince left, two women anti-foxhunting activists asked him: "When are you going to ban hunting Charles? When are you going to realise animals have feelings too?"

The Prince ignored the protests, speaking to well-wishers on the other side of the road.

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The help-line, which is funded by the Welsh National Assembly and managed by the NHS, offers confidential advice to anyone in Wales who feels under pressure during the current foot-and-mouth crisis.

Queries range from advice about where to buy a certain type of disinfectant to genuinely depressed farmers in need of emotional support.

Mrs Jenny Powell, a farmer's wife who works at the centre, said the Prince seemed genuinely concerned about her own situation.

The 47-year-old mother-of-three, from nearby Ruthin said: "He spent about five minutes chatting to me and was extremely nice.

"I told him that I joined the helpline because I come from a rural community and want to give something back. He asked if we had been affected by foot-and-mouth and seemed genuinely concerned."

PA