I had the privilege today of presenting the Award for Enterprise at the West Midlands Prince’s Trust Awards. The stories from the young people, the difficulties they have overcome and the new businesses and community initiatives they have created were humbling and inspiring.
Starting and running a business is never easy, but with the help of the Prince’s Trust, many young people do just that. Last year the Prince’s Trust helped 41,324 young people make a difference in their lives last year.
I presented the Federation of Small Business Enterprise Award to Claire and Kate who set up Teme Valley Care in May 2008. Teme Valley Care provides care services for the elderly and disabled in Worcestershire. There were also five other finalists, all who deserve recognition for success against the odds – Lissa Dobson – Mugz4U, Ben and Michael Dyer – Altogether Company, Barkhad Hassan – The Hub, Kwayera Simpson – City Headwear, Mehmet Zamur – Mehmet’s Barbers.
The Prince’s Trust are always looking for volunteers to mentor the young people on the programmes, so if you’ve got some spare time in your diary, why don’t you see if you can make a difference?