News
The Prince of Wales visits Burnley
5th February 2010
The Prince of Wales has received his very own Premier League shirt as he visited Burnley Football Club on a tour of the town.
He was said to be "pleasantly surprised" to be presented with the claret and blue top, with HRH 1 emblazoned on the back.
The Prince stopped off at the club's Turf Moor ground on the first of series of fact-finding visits to catch up with the progress of a number of his charities which are working towards the social, economic and environmental regeneration of the Lancashire town.
The football club provided a much-needed boost to the area last May when it achieved promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in 33 years. It is the smallest town ever to host a club in the Premier League, with a population of around 75,000.
His Royal Highness proved well versed in the Clarets' fight to avoid relegation on a relatively shoestring budget. Chairman Barry Kilby explained: "He knows all our scores this season and he realises how vital our game is tomorrow at home to West Ham. I would like to think he may be rooting for us to win that match."
Mr Kilby presented The Prince of Wales with the special home shirt on the pitch. I think he was pleasantly surprised with the award," the chairman said.
Ten of The Prince's charities are involved in promoting the development of the town, along with Burnley Borough Council and other local organisations. The Prince's Trust and Burnley FC have combined to form Get Started with Football, which aims to motivate unemployed young people through the sport. The Prince observed some of the youngsters being put through their paces during warm-ups on the pitch.
He was then given a presentation by young people who have participated in programmes run by the Prince's Trust and Business in the Community. Two 18-year-olds from Burnley, Ryan McKinlay and Jack Heys, described how their lives were transformed by a programme called Life Maps - a five-day residential course for young people organised by the Army and Lancashire Police.
Mr McKinlay said he had lost his job a year ago and had dropped out of college before he was given a taste of Army life on the course. He said: "It is hard to believe I was doing nothing a year ago but today I am telling my story to His Royal Highness. In two days' time I will be starting my basic training with the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment."
Mr Heys said: "This time last year I was in a bad place. I was taking drugs and was out on the streets. My life was going nowhere. Then I found out about Life Maps and have gone on to do every programme the Prince's Trust has offered." He said he was now training to be a full-time volunteer with the Prince's Trust.
The Prince also met participants of Dreams Too, a five-day activity programme for unemployed women run by The Prince’s Trust. They gave a performance of song and dance which they use to aid their quest for work.
The Prince then visited Burnley College/University of Central Lancashire Campus to learn from staff and students about work The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts is involved in there.
The Prince then gave a speech to business leaders at historic Towneley Hall and spoke about his trip to Turf Moor, home of Burnley Football Club, who are known as the Clarets.
The Prince, who was wearing a team badge, said: "I have done my utmost to wear as much claret as I can to just to show as much solidarity as I can.
Of the Saturday game The Prince said: "I made a mistake of not being here tomorrow. I will watch closely and with some anxiety at what happens."
He added that the club's promotion to the Premiership had provided a boost to the whole area.
Referring to his charities' achievements in the town, and especially The Prince's Trust, he said. "It is so rewarding to see the effect that it has made on young people. It gives them confidence and self-esteem."
He said part of the battle was to overcome the perceptions that young people have about people and organisations with which they had had no previous contact.
"The difficulty I find, wherever I go, is this issue of people's perception of others," he said.
"I'm afraid a lot of it comes from television. It is quite a difficult uphill struggle to overcome these perceptions."
He went on to stress the importance of revitalising the town's historic Weavers Triangle area - home of former Victorian mills nestling on the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.
The Prince said: "I keep going on about this but it really helps define Burnley.
"They are not many of these buildings left. They have either knocked them down or allowed them to become derelict.
"Heritage-led regeneration is hugely valuable in the long term. It creates the kind of atmosphere in which people vote with their feet.
"I am absolutely convinced that it (Weavers Triangle) can be the real making of Burnley.
"I take great notice in this town because of the wonderful people in Lancashire and also I believe in investing in the future.
"We cannot do it without bringing in all sorts of sympathetic people who can share in that vision.
"I look forward to continue taking an interest in Burnley."
In the grounds of Towneley Hall he was shown the Offshoots Permaculture Site which has transformed a formerly derelict walled garden.
Groundwork Pennine Lancashire converted it into a thriving fruit and vegetable garden which acts a training and demonstration centre for sustainability.
Project manager Phill Dewhurst said: "We are trying to engage communities at a grass-roots level to reduce the environmental impact of our actions, while enhancing a sense of place and real community."
The Prince was presented with a Blenheim orange tree on leaving the site.
His Royal Highness rounded off his day in Burnley by meeting young people and volunteers at Burnley Lane Action Group who provide community sessions for parents and children from toddlers to older youths.
Business In The Community, of which The Prince is President, has aided the Fraser Street centre - a former pram shop - with background support and advice to further enhance its impact in the local community.
Fran Monks, Amanda Chapman and other local mothers set up the Burnley Lane Action Group in 2002 in the wake of widespread disturbances in the town a year earlier.
They started off with just 15 members but now have more than 300 young people coming through the doors six days a week.
Mrs Monks explained: "The purpose of the centre is to help young people who have had a raw deal in life.
"They have found it difficult to engage with schools or had problems with the police. This centre is for them, we offer a home for them, we love them.
"We give them a chance and no one is pre-judged.
"The club was started as there was nothing in this area for young people to do. We wanted to get them off the street."
Thanks to support from Business in the Community’s business contacts, the group has been assisted with a range of different aspects from arranging a new lease to planning the fit-out of its expanded premises.
The Prince praised the mothers' achievements, saying: "I am so impressed at what Fran and Amanda have been able to do. If it was not for their enthusiasm and determination against all odds, none of this would be possible."
The Prince later shook hands with well-wishers outside the centre before leaving.