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Hi Reader, In my previous newsletter, I mentioned that I was attending a garden party… although I kept the details fairly quiet at the time. I can now reveal it was The King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. A week after Mental Health Awareness Week, it actually felt slightly ironic — and perhaps quite fitting — to spend the afternoon surrounded by conversations centred around community, opportunity, resilience and support. The charity was originally founded in 1976 by King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, after recognising that many vulnerable young people simply weren’t being given the trust, opportunities or support they needed to move forward in life. Using £7,400 of his own Royal Navy severance pay, he launched what became The Prince’s Trust — now The King’s Trust — to support disadvantaged young people facing challenges around education, employment, homelessness, confidence and opportunity. Fifty years later, the scale of that impact is extraordinary. Over one million young people have now been supported through programmes focused on helping people gain the confidence and skills to live, learn and earn. Having supported The King’s Trust as a business mentor for around 10 years now, it was genuinely special to spend the afternoon amongst volunteers, mentors, ambassadors, supporters and young people connected to the charity. Despite the occasional rain showers 🌦️ there was a real sense of warmth, community and shared purpose across the gardens. The Trust has also attracted support over the years from ambassadors across music, sport, television and business, with familiar faces connected to the charity including Ant & Dec, Dame Helen Mirren, Fearne Cotton, Sir Gareth Southgate, Nicola Adams and Tom Davies — several of whom were present during the celebrations. I also had the opportunity to briefly speak with Gareth Southgate about leadership, equality and the importance of supporting mental health conversations both within football and beyond. One of my reflections during the afternoon was thinking back to around 10 years ago when I first attended The Prince’s Trust offices in Nottingham for my mentor onboarding. At the time, it felt slightly outside my comfort zone. I honestly didn’t fully know what was expected of me, what type of support I would be offering, or what sort of young people I would eventually work with — especially when it was explained that I wouldn’t necessarily be mentoring people directly linked to my own profession or background. Over the years though, I’ve had the privilege of supporting young adults involved in areas including:
What has always stood out is the commitment, creativity, struggles, resilience and determination many young people carry whilst simply trying to create a better future for themselves. Seeing confidence slowly grow, self-belief develop and individuals begin recognising their own potential is probably one of the most rewarding parts of mentoring. One other thing I’ve noticed over the last decade is just how much mental health and emotional wellbeing conversations have increased within support services and mentoring environments. Ten years ago, those conversations were far less visible and often not openly discussed as they are today. Now, discussions around:
have become part and parcel of many support conversations taking place across organisations, communities and mentoring settings. In many ways, yesterday felt like a reminder of why those conversations — and the support surrounding them — matter more than ever. A memorable afternoon and a powerful reminder of the difference mentoring, support and human connection can still make. Mike
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