Prince welcomes stars to Highgrove
The Prince of Wales rolled out the red carpet at his Gloucestershire home to thank celebrities for their charitable support.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall hosted a glittering reception at Highgrove House in Tetbury for more than 100 stars from the worlds of pop, sport, stage and screen.
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ON THE BALL: The Prince of Wales chats with former football star and now Match of the Day host Gary Lineker
The Prince welcomed famous musical faces Phil Collins and Alesha Dixon, footballer Gary Lineker and actresses Felicity Kendal and Amanda Burton to lunch in support of the Prince's Trust.
All those present were ambassadors who used their fame, and who gave up their time and energy, to encourage youngsters to launch their own careers through the trust.
Genesis drummer Collins, who now lives in Switzerland, was the first ambassador for the trust.
Collins said he had been involved with Prince Charles's charitable work since 1982.
"In the early days, it was down to fundraising, film premieres and rock concerts. Then I used to go along when they had a week of work support and learning in Norfolk when potentially unemployable kids who lacked in confidence went along.
"The change that you could see in some of the young people there – their chests were all puffed out."
Meanwhile, soul singer Joss Stone said helping the Prince's Trust was about "giving a little helping hand".
Bristol animator Nick Park shared a joke with Journey South pop star Andy Pemberton after they failed to recognise each other.
Andy, who now has his own record label and nurtures new talent, said he owed it all to the trust.
The X Factor third place winner from 2005 said: "About 10 years ago I applied to the Prince's Trust for a grant. I basically wanted to start up my own entertainment agency and needed a lot of equipment."
Andy received £3,000 from the trust and the rest is history.
Other household names who sipped wine in the Highgrove gardens, toured the famous grounds and enjoyed lunch included Martin Clunes, Phillip Schofield, George Alagiah, Clive Anderson, Antony Worrall Thompson and Mike Rutherford.
The guest list also included Emma Bunton and Sir Ben Kingsley.
■ The Prince's Trust has now helped more than 600,000 youngsters start up their businesses with grants and mentoring.
Opinion, p8
For more see Weekend on Saturday
12 Comments
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by Leeroy, Stroud
Thursday, September 10 2009, 2:11PM
“Maybe its time for a highgrove party for all the local taxpayers of stroud and gloucestershire who have to pay a massive police precept to keep them here. We the people own highgrove, its ours. access please.”
by Disappointed, Depression
Wednesday, September 09 2009, 7:19PM
“I thought this meant Prince, the famous singer. Not amused, will check out less articles in future.”
by Curious?, Cheltenham
Wednesday, September 09 2009, 6:58PM
“I think it is great that people are around to help others. But lets remember that it is easier to give when you have lots to give. I would like to say thank you to all those people who dedicate time and energy to helping others - especially the ones who do it out of pure compassion. Let's celebrate those people who are not famous and rich.”
by Fool, on the Hill
Wednesday, September 09 2009, 6:11PM
“Jay,
At least we can vote them out.”
by Historian, Glos
Wednesday, September 09 2009, 5:10PM
“Our reality is Darwinian. That we still have monarchy tells us that we must be early humanoids, so perhaps there is a future beyond global warming?”