Our history
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 was founded in 1976 by The Prince of Wales.
Having completed his duty in the Royal Navy, His Royal Highness
became dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged young
people in the UK, and began The Trust to deliver on that
commitment.
1976
- The Prince's Trust is launched.
- 21 pilot projects are set up around the country. Grants are
given to a 19 year old women to run a social centre for the
Haggerston Housing Estate in east London, and for two ex-offenders
to run a fishing club. Funds hire swimming baths in Cornwall to
train young life guards and for a self-help bicycle repair
scheme.
1982
- First fundraising concert takes place, raising £72,000. Bands
helped, funded or started by The Trust play alongside established
pop stars including Status Quo.
- The first Prince's Trust Rock Gala is held at the Dominion
Tottenham Court Road, with Madness, Joan Armatrading, Phil Collins,
Kate Bush and Pete Townshend. Rock galas continue through the
'80s.
1983
- Business start-up programme is launched for the young
unemployed. Within three years, 1,000 businesses are trading and
80% surviving the first year of existence.
1984
- Week-long residential events are held at holiday camps around
the UK, drawing hundreds of deprived young people. Camps continue
annually for 13 years, and in 1996 an international version is held
in France.
1985
- The Prince of Wales Community Venture is launched - an
intensive 42-week programme, containing a mix of challenge,
outdoors activity teamwork, and community care. This later
developed into the Volunteers programme.
1987
- Jim Gardner is appointed as Chairman of Trustees and Tom
Shebbeare as the first full-time director of The Prince's
Trust.
1988
- £40 million appeal is launched in The Prince's 40th birthday
year, to be matched by the government to a total of £80
million.
1990
- Launch of The Prince's Trust Volunteers programme, a 12-week
personal development programme for 16-25 year olds, both unemployed
and employed. By 1995, 10,000 young people have completed the
programme. By 2000 the figure is 50,000.
- Study Support is launched, providing underachieving pupils with
after hours study centres. The initiative is taken up by the
Government in 1997.
1994
- First residential music school takes place. It evolves into the
nationwide Sound Live programme, teaching young unemployed about
the music business.
1996
- The Trust holds the first rock concert in Hyde Park for over 20
years. This marks the start of a long-term strategy to establish a
link between The Trust and young people's passions - music, fashion
and sport.
- New initiatives are launched: mentors for teenagers leaving
care (1998); a scheme to target young offenders; xl clubs to
motivate 15 and 16 year olds and keep them at school (1998);
opportunities for travel and exploration in Europe; and a programme
in partnership with VSO to provide six month-long international
opportunities (July 2000).
- Development Awards - originally one-off £100 or £200 grants -
are shaped to incorporate ongoing guidance and support. By 1998,
groups of young people can apply for grants up to £15,000 to
develop their own projects in the local community.
1997
- The Prince's Trust pilots a Team project supported by the
Premier League, Football Foundation and Professional Footballers'
Association which would later be rolled out to include more than 60
clubs from across the four professional leagues.
1999
- The various Trust charities are brought together as The
Prince's Trust. This is recognised by HM The Queen at a ceremony in
Buckingham Palace, when she grants it a Royal Charter.
2000
- The organisational structure of The Trust changes, being
devolved. There continues to be a national strategy for the UK as a
whole, but Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and each of the
English regions now has it own fully-accountable Director and
Council.
2001
- The total number of young people who've been helped in some way
by the Trust reaches 400,000 people. The total receiving sustained
help per year reaches 25,000.
2002
- The Business programme hits a milestone with its 50,000th young
person supported into self-employment.
- The Trust announces a £5M investment over three years to help
the 30,000 a year who leave school with no qualifications and low
basic skills. Total young people supported reaches 450,000.
2003
- The 10,000th Development Award is given. Now a leader amongst
charities in staging innovative fundraising events, The Prince's
Trust holds the first Fashion Rocks at Royal Albert Hall, with
world class music artists and fashion designers sharing the stage.
The event raises £1.1 million.
2004
- The Prince's Trust, in partnership with the Royal Bank of
Scotland Group, releases a landmark piece of research, Reaching the
Hardest to Reach, profiling the young people being left behind by
UK society.
- The Trust launches a new series, Celebrate Success, honouring
achievements of young people and volunteers with a series of
regional and country events culminating with a national event
attended by The Prince of Wales, celebrity Ambassadors, press and
many others.
- The Urban Music Festival, a cutting edge, interactive event
sells out over two days at London's Earls Court, drawing 30,000 to
make it the UK's largest urban music event.
2005
- The Premier League, Football Foundation and the Professional
Footballers' Association re-confirm their commitment to The
Prince's Trust by pledging a further £2m, extending the partnership
until 2008. To date almost 10,000 young people have benefited from
the initiative.
2006
- The Prince's Trust turns 30
- Our first national fundraising and advertising campaign
launches
- A special 30th Birthday concert takes place at the Tower of
London
- An ITV documentary, 'The Prince of Wales: Up Close', profiles
the Prince and his work with The Trust
- A three hour live televised event on ITV, hosted by Ant &
Dec, features a world exclusive first interview with all three
princes - Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry
- The first Palace to Palace Cycle Ride takes place from
Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle
2007
- The Trust launches a landmark study which calculates the Cost
of Exclusion.
- A new initiative Breaking the Cycle makes progress towards
helping ex-offenders.
- This year also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Football
initiative. Fashion Rocks returned to The Royal Albert Hall.
2008
- The Business Programme celebrates its 25th anniversary with the
launch of the Business Club for programme alumni and the
Enterprise Fellowship
- On his 60th birthday, HRH The Prince of Wales launches the
first Prince's Trust Youth Week campaign, challenging the media to
present a more balanced view of young people