HRH The Prince of Wales and Astronaut Major Tim Peake Visit Prince's Trust Centre in Bristol
Posted on: 27 Jul 2016HRH The Prince of Wales meets young people supported by his charity, at The Prince's Trust Centre in Bristol. Major Tim Peake also joined the visit, to help deliver a rocket building activity to young people.
A new report released today shows The Prince's Trust has returned £102million in value to society in the South West through its help for disadvantaged young people over the last ten years alone. Founded by The Prince of Wales in 1976, The Prince's Trust has supported 825,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged young people to overcome their challenges and move into education or work.
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, joined by Major Tim Peake, yesterday visited The Prince's Trust Centre in Bristol to meet young people whose lives have been changed by the youth charity as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Tim Peake, a Prince's Trust Ambassador, took part in a rocket building activity with young people, one of The Trust's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives, which help develop young people's team building, communication and problem solving skills.
The Prince then chaired a discussion group with young people, who've been supported by the youth charity, about the challenges facing the youth of today growing up in the South West.
One young person in the discussion included Daniel Edmund, aged 26 from Bristol. Daniel was struggling with depression and taking drugs to fill a void. He was unemployed and lacking direction in life, before he came to The Trust with an idea to launch a business. He said: "For around five years I was taking drugs and I was feeling insecure about my masculinity and the direction my life was taking. I had all these creative ideas about what I wanted my business to look like and do, but I didn't know how to get it off the ground."
After taking part in The Trust's Enterprise programme, which helps young people set up a business, Daniel established Milk for Tea, which delivers events aimed at bringing men together to talk about important issues such as mental health. "It's an amazing feeling when you meet people at The Prince's Trust who make you believe anything is possible, and that's the message I want to spread," adds Daniel.
The discussion links to a new report released today by The Prince's Trust which shows how the charity has returned £102million in value to society in the South West through its help for disadvantaged young people over the last ten years alone.
The calculation, NEF Consulting, takes into account the return on investment of getting young people off benefits, reducing offending and re-offending, helping young people to achieve at school, and the associated savings to the public purse. Across the UK as a whole The Trust's value to society was calculated at £1.4billion over the last 10 years.
Tim Peake says: "I became a Prince's Trust Ambassador just before I left for my mission on board the International Space Station. I wanted to use the exposure I was going to get in space to shed some light on the incredible work The Trust is doing. I am only too aware of the challenges many young people face in the UK to re-engage with education, to find training or a job. The Prince's Trust's 40th anniversary report demonstrates the additional difficulty young people face when they cannot rely on their family's help to face these barriers to education and work. My message to young people across the UK who do not have access to these "inherited opportunities" is that The Trust exists to help them, offering an incredible support network. Get in touch, work hard using the support The Trust offers and be amazed at what you can achieve!"
Dermot Finch, South Region Director at The Prince's Trust, says: "Over the last 40 years, The Prince's Trust has provided an alternative support network for young people who may not have the family support they need. We support around 900 young people each year in Bristol alone, and three in four of the young people we help move into work, education or training, helping to build their self-esteem and break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage."
For more information on all the great work done by The Prince's Trust, and how they can help you or a friend/family member, please visit www.princes-trust.org.uk. On that website you can see the Bristol specific page for the centre located at: Canningford House, 38 Victoria Street, Bristol, BS1 6BY.
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Miri is an English literature student at the University of Bristol who enjoys folk-punk & math-rock music, trailing round art galleries, and playing video games. She is a keen follower of politics and will read any science fiction you throw her way. Having lived in and around Bristol for many years she has developed a keen interest in the Bristol underground music scene and independent restaurants.
