Christmas Charity Focus: The Prince's Trust

In 2020, Whistlefish supported The Prince's Trust through donations linked to sales from our Christmas card collection. The charity is now known as The King's Trust, and its purpose remains close to the heart of this original article: helping young people build confidence, skills and brighter futures.

At the time, we wanted to spend a little time getting to know the charity, the work it does and how people could support it. Here is a refreshed look at that story, with current links for readers who would like to find out more.

About The King's Trust

The King's Trust, formerly The Prince's Trust, supports young people as they build confidence, develop skills and take steps towards work, education or training. Its programmes are designed to help young people who may be facing barriers, whether through school, care, unemployment, homelessness, mental health challenges or other difficult circumstances.

For Whistlefish, the connection felt especially meaningful. Our founder, Lyn Thompson, was supported by The Prince's Trust when she was building the beginnings of Whistlefish, making this charity partnership a particularly personal one.

The history of The King's Trust

The charity began in 1976, when His Majesty The King, then HRH The Prince of Wales, founded The Prince's Trust after completing his service in the Royal Navy. His aim was to help young people who needed practical support, encouragement and opportunity.

You can read more about how the charity has developed through the decades on The King's Trust history page.

How The King's Trust supports young people

The King's Trust offers practical programmes that help young people stabilise their lives, build key skills and feel more confident about their next steps. Its support covers areas such as starting a business, finding work, developing confidence and exploring new opportunities.

The charity's programmes for young people give readers a current view of the support available today.

Starting a business

One of the best-known areas of support is helping young people explore self-employment and business ideas. The King's Trust offers support for 18 to 30-year-olds in the UK who want to work through an idea and understand what it might take to turn it into a real business.

This was the type of support that helped Lyn Thompson take early steps towards creating Whistlefish, which is why the charity's work has always felt especially significant to us.

What is involved in enterprise support?

For young people with a business idea, The King's Trust can offer guidance, training and mentoring-style support. The current support starting a business page explains how the programme works today.

Information and early guidance

The first stage is about understanding the support available and deciding whether the programme feels right for you and your idea.

Workshops and planning

Young people can receive help with important areas such as planning, marketing, sales, budgeting and building a clearer picture of their business.

Building the business

After the early planning stage, young entrepreneurs can continue testing and shaping their ideas with support. Those who need more information can also explore funding your business guidance from The King's Trust.

Getting into work

The King's Trust also supports young people who are looking for work experience, training or a clearer route into employment. Its programmes are designed to build confidence as well as practical skills, helping young people see what might be possible for them.

How you can support The King's Trust

Support for The King's Trust can help young people access the guidance, confidence and opportunities they need to move forward. If you would like to learn more about donating, fundraising, volunteering or supporting the charity in another way, visit support The King's Trust.

There is also a wealth of information available on The King's Trust website for young people looking for help, as well as for those who would like to understand more about the charity's work.

Whistlefish Christmas cards

We are proud to look back on this connection with a charity that played a part in Whistlefish's own beginnings. If you would like to browse our current festive designs, you can view the full Christmas card collection.