The surprises have just kept coming for three award-winning former Prince’s Trust students who received an exclusive invite to Buckingham Palace to meet His Majesty the King.
Announced winners of a prestigious Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx and Homesense Award at a star-studded awards ceremony in London earlier this week, Jack, Charlie and Kai picked up the accolade on behalf of the Education Training Collective’s Prince’s Trust Middlesbrough Team 44.
The JD Foundation Community Impact Award was presented to the boys by actor Stephen Graham at the event hosted by Ant and Dec and attended by celebrity supporters and ambassadors of the youth charity.
An invite to a Buckingham Palace reception followed where they met and were congratulated by founder of The Prince’s Trust, the King.
The three Team members had already been surprised earlier this month after they were invited to London to take part in a discussion with LADbible about knife crime where they were met by YouTuber and entertainer, Chunkz, who shared the news of their win.
The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards shine a light on the inspirational stories of young people, volunteers and those who support their wider communities. It showcases the impact of The Prince’s Trust’s work building the confidence and skills needed to get into a job, education, training or self-employment.
The JD Foundation Community Impact Award recognises a group of young people who have made a positive contribution to their local community and, in doing so, have developed their own personal skills through teamwork.
For Middlesbrough Team 44, delivered by the Education Training Collective, the award came as recognition for their community project which saw the creation of a mural in Redcar aimed at raising awareness of the devastating impact of knife crime.
Working with the Chris Cave Foundation and local artists, Illumination Art, the Tree of Life features the names of some 300 people who have lost their lives to knife crime. A grant from UKSE’s community support fund helped cover the cost of equipment and paint.
Jack said: “As part of Team we had to decide on a community project and through our research we discovered that Teesside was one of the highest areas in the country for knife crime. This led us to contact a local charity, the Chris Cave Foundation, which supports and educates communities on violent crime.”
Charlie said: “We decided we wanted to highlight the issue of knife crime in a creative way – so decided as a group we’d like to work with a local street artist to create a mural on the external wall of the Chris Cave Foundation.”
Kai continued: “Local families attended to write their own loved one's names on the tree. It was really satisfying to see our community come together and to be part of such an important project.”
On winning the award, Kai said: “Doing the Team programme and working on our knife crime project was one of the best things we’ve all done. We’re really proud of the mural and all it stands for and are really honoured to receive the Community Impact Award.”
Andy Higginson from the JD Group said: “As proud partners of The Prince’s Trust since 2021, the JD Group and JD Foundation are dedicated to helping young people achieve their unlimited potential and access exciting opportunities.
“We are honoured to present the Community Impact Award, sponsored by the JD Foundation, to three exemplary role models for their generation who have made a profound impact on their community.
“Kai, Charlie and Jack all took part in The Prince’s Trust Team programme, which allowed them to work together to improve their confidence and focus on an important issue in the Teesside area.”
Actor Stephen Graham said: “These young people should be extremely proud of all their achievements on the Team programme. The mural that Kai, Jack and Charlie worked on is so powerful and raises awareness of such an important issue. They’ve truly made their family, friends and community proud. Huge congratulations to these three wonderful young men.”
On meeting the Team members, Chunkz said: “It was an honour to take part in this award on behalf of The Prince’s Trust. Knife crime is something that is close to my heart, so it was a real pleasure to meet Kai, Charlie and Jack to learn more about their mural. The topic of knife crime is so important and relevant to today’s youth so to hear their passion and dedication to raising awareness for it was admirable.”
The Prince’s Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards honour and celebrate the successes of those who have been helped by The Trust, and those who support them, in the UK and around the world.
Many of the winners have overcome significant barriers to transform their lives and build brighter futures for themselves and their communities.
The Prince’s Trust Team programme is a 12-week personal development course for young people aged 16 to 25, who are not currently in education, training or employment.
The Education Training Collective delivers Prince’s Trust Team courses in Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Middlesbrough/Redcar and Stockton.
