The Prince’s Trust  was founded in 1976 by The Prince of Wales who was motivated to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK. It can claim up to 700,000 young people having been helped by the trust; just last year alone the Trust nationally helped well over 58,000 young people to find a means and a way to go forward in their lives. The trust has become the UK’s leading youth charity, offering a range of opportunities including training, personal development, business start up support, mentoring and advice.

The Prince’s Trust supports 13 to 30 year olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Around one in five young people in the UK are not in work, education or training and the Trust focuses their efforts on those who need it most. To help the Trust in these endeavours it works with more than 1,200 operational and strategic partners as well as having a network of over 1,000 employees and nearly 6,000 volunteers.

A brand new Trust Centre has been opened up in Stoke on Trent and the High Sheriff and his wife were kindly invited to an inspiring celebration of the opening of the Centre. Stoke is one of the many industrial cities in the West Midlands, and the opening of this new Centre in Stoke, with the support of The Queen’s Trust, is going to enable the Trust to focus it’s work across the city, aspiring to grow sufficiently in order to help at least 850 young people each year to transform their lives and find success. We heard speeches given by representatives from The Prince’s Trust, The Queen’s Trust, and most importantly from young people who’s lives have definitely been positively changed by the enormous support of the Trust.

It is a large, bright, airy building, with varying practical facilities that welcome and inspire those who come for the support. For instance a huge modern kitchen, sponsored by local business ‘Steelite International’ has been built in order to give training and support for any career in that field. That is one example of what the Trust has to offer in terms of practical support. They also hold enterprise programmes there as a means of introducing young people to becoming entrepreneurs.

For much more information on The Prince’s Trust, certainly worth looking at, especially if interested in volunteering or passing on information to anyone who might be in need of the support, do visit:  princes-trust.org.uk