Focus
Prince William and Centrepoint
1st November 2009
Centrepoint has been supporting young homeless people in the UK for four decades.
As Royal Patron of the charity, Prince William is helping the charity celebrate the landmark birthday this year.
For Centrepoint, 2009 marks 40 years of supporting young people experiencing difficulties, who, for whatever reason, find themselves homeless.
Many are escaping domestic violence and abuse, family breakdown, poverty or gun and knife culture.
In 2005, Prince William chose Centrepoint to be the first charity of which he would become Patron.
Inspired by visits to the charity as a boy with his mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince William has always remembered talking to the young people he met and hearing their stories.
Centrepoint was one of The Princess of Wales’s favourite causes and one of the six organisations of which she remained Patron when she scaled down her charitable interests.
Prince William’s support for Centrepoint has taken many forms since he became Patron four years ago.
Prince William and Prince Harry chose Centrepoint to be one of the charities to benefit from the Concert for Diana, which they arranged as a tribute to their mother.
Although primarily a tribute rather than a fundraising event, the concert managed to raise more than £150,000 for each of the charities.
In 2005, Prince William volunteered with the charity in London. He served breakfast and lunch to young people and acted as a care worker, helping people to find temporary housing and fill in accommodation and benefit forms.
In an example of his commitment as Patron, Prince William's first public speech was for Centrepoint, at a reception to launch their 40th anniversary year in November 2008.
On 12th March 2009, Prince William hosted a40th anniversary dinner for the charity at the State Apartments in St. James’s Palace. He gave another speech and met supporters and young people helped by the charity.
About Centrepoint
Centrepoint was started in the winter of 1969, when a young curate, Ken Leech, opened the basement of his church, St Anne's in Soho, to help people sleeping rough in London's West End.
As well as projects outside the capital, there are now 16 services across London for 16 to 25-year-olds including young ex-offenders' accommodation, a centre for pregnant women and single mothers, and Safe Stop, which offers nine days of emergency accommodation to youngsters in danger of sleeping rough.
Visit the website: www.centrepoint.org