Posted: Tuesday 15 June 2010

Royal Visit for Kilmarnock College Team

Young people participating on The Prince's Trust Team programme delivered at Kilmarnock College had a royal adventure in Luss recently as The Duke of Rothesay visited the village to see the extensive redevelopment work the young people have carried out in the area.

The Duke of Rothesay, as HRH the Prince of Wales is known in Scotland, took an extended tour of the village, taking in the different areas the young people had worked on and spent time with them to hear first hand about their experience on the programme.

The Prince's Trust Team programme is a 12 week personal development programme designed to equip young people with the skills and experience necessary for moving on to a positive destination. During the programme, participants complete a community based project, work experience, intensive team building and personal development initiatives and a Team challenge, which allows them to achieve recognised accreditation in an informal environment as well as making a contribution to their local community.

The Prince's Trust Team programme at Kilmarnock College, in partnership with Luss Parish Church, was started in 2007 and has seen young people from the College work in collaboration with others participating in the programme from Clydebank College and James Watt College.

In the last three years, over 140 young people from the three colleges have worked on the redevelopment of the area, carrying out over 5,000 hours of work in the village to help construct a bridge, create several new pathways, create wheelchair access through the grounds of the church, install environmental protection measures and construct additional storage facilities for the church and local community. Teams have also worked on creating a cinema for the area, which it is hoped will attract over 750, 000 visitors per annum.

Geraldine Gammell, Director of The Prince's Trust Scotland commented,

"I am delighted that HRH The Prince of Wales was able to visit this project and witness for himself the outstanding contribution the young people have made to the area. There has been a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication carried out on the project in the last three years and the young people involved should be very proud of themselves. I'd like to thank Reverend Sherrard and the community in Luss for their continued support for the young people and allowing them to gain critical work experience. The Team programme celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year and this is yet another fantastic example of how successful the programme is in changing young lives."

Heather Dunk, Principal of Kilmarnock College added,

"We have been running Prince's Trust Team programmes at Kilmarnock College for ten years and have welcomed over 100 teams of young people eager to develop their confidence, learn new skills, gain employment or move on to further study.

"Our students' redevelopment work in the village of Luss has been a phenomenal success over the past few years. It is wonderful to see this recognised by His Royal Highness and on behalf of the College I would like to congratulate our students and staff on this success."

Notes to Editors

The Prince's Trust

Youth charity, The Prince's Trust Scotland, helps change young lives. It gives practical and financial support, developing skills such as confidence and motivation. Further information about The Prince's Trust is available at www.princes-trust.org.uk.

Kilmarnock College

Kilmarnock College has served its community for 50 years, delivering a range of full-time, part-time and flexible courses to meet individual and employer needs. In recent times the College has undergone significant transformation with the appointment of a new Senior Management Team . Since then, the College has gone from strength to strength, culminating with a very positive report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) in November 2009. Currently the College boasts a staff body of 370, 2,000 full-time students and 5,000 part-time learners.

Pictured: HRH the Prince of Wales with staff and students from the Kilmarnock College Prince's Trust Team.

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For more information, contact:
Denise Clark, Halogen Communications, (T) 0131 202 0120 (F) 0131 225 3757 (E) denise@halogencom.com

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