Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by HRH The Prince of Wales, saw firsthand the impact of the The Prince’s Charities in Burnley, Lancashire during a visit there on 16 May.
One of Britain’s most deprived former industrial towns is being revived with help from 12 of The Prince of Wales’s main charities thanks to initial funding from The British Asian Trust.
The Royal Party met young people and organisations working with The Prince’s Charities in Burnley and attended The Prince’s Charities’ Regeneration Summit where the Queen made a short speech. The visit to Burnley is part of the ongoing Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
“I have been interested to learn today about the work undertaken by The Prince’s Charities to transform lives and build sustainable communities,” said HM The Queen. “By joining forces with local groups here in Burnley they have helped to make a considerable difference to the town and its people. The leadership and interest of The Prince of Wales has encouraged and enthused communities to come together to improve their neighbourhoods, their towns and cities and their countryside, and ensuring that The Prince’s Charities focus on the right areas, such as the quality of the built environment and opportunities for young people,” she said. Read the full speech here. Read more about the Royal Visit here.
The ‘Making a Difference’ regeneration initiative in Burnley, Lancashire has impacted the lives of countless people and is helping to build the future there, according to HRH The Prince of Wales. The work of The British Asian Trust and 11 other Prince’s Charities was commended in a recently-released independent report praising their ‘significant contribution.’
“No other group of charities could have played the same role or achieved as much as The Prince’s Charities,” the report by the Cass Business School, at London’s City University, stated. The evaluation report also concludes that the initiative provides a blueprint for similar potential collaborations in other parts of the country.
“We are proud that we could help to make this critical initiative happen in an area challenged by poverty, unemployment and racial tension,” said Hitan Mehta, Trust Executive Director. “We hope that other disadvantaged communities will adopt this regeneration model that is transforming lives, families, businesses and neighborhoods across Burnley.”
The ‘Making a Difference’ initiative focused on youth opportunity and education, community, crime and anti-social behavior, business and employment. Read an executive summary of ‘Making a Difference in Burnley: An evaluation of the role played by The Prince’s Charities’ here.
