Look To The Stars News: Prince Charles

Bryan Adams Plays Prince's Trust Gig

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Bryan Adams has played at an auction gala event that raised over £1 million (US$1 million) for the Prince’s Trust.

The Prince’s Trust Invest in Futures Gala Dinner and Charity Auction was hosted by Ben Elton at Old Billingsgate, east London, over the weekend, and featured lots such as tea at The Ritz with Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster, a flight with The Red Arrows, artworks by Prince Charles, a chance to meet Donatella Versace at Milan Fashion Week, and the opportunity to meet Simon Cowell and Cheryl Cole during an X Factor taping.

“It is an honor for me to perform at such an incredible event which raises a huge amount of money for The Prince’s Trust,“ said Bryan Adams. “Support from the financial community is more important now than ever and The Prince’s Trust is giving young people the skills and confidence to get into work in this increasingly uncertain global climate.”

Prince Charles brushes up on first aid skills

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:30:00 -0000

As President of the British Red Cross, HRH The Prince of Wales is well aware of the value of knowing life-saving skills. And that’s why he recently requested a refresher first aid course.

Joe Mulligan, head of first aid, was only too happy to visit the Prince to deliver a ‘save a life’ course. Joe recalled: “He showed a great appetite and enthusiasm for the subject, and seemed to thoroughly enjoy freshening up his first aid skills.”

The Prince added: “I asked the British Red Cross to arrange for me to refresh my first aid skills because these simple skills can save lives.

“I was staggered to learn that each year in the UK three million people attend hospital with injuries that could have been helped by first aid. In an emergency, an unconscious person with a blocked airway can die within four minutes. In less time, we can all learn how to deal with such a situation.”

The Red Cross’ save a life course covers key adult life-saving skills and provides a quick introduction to basic first aid.

Find out more about the organisation’s courses here.

Comedians Are Most Amused For Prince Charles

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Robin Williams, John Cleese and Rowan Atkinson lead the line-up of comedic talent that will perform at “We Are Most Amused” next month. The night of comedy will help celebrate Prince Charles’ 60th birthday, as well as benefit the Prince’s Trust.

Founded by Prince Charles in 1976 (using his severance pay of £7,400 from the Navy), the Prince’s Trust exists to help the UK’s troubled youth through support, training and personal development. With skill development, self confidence and a completed education – and even money for a start up business – young people with hopeless outlooks are now heading toward self chosen goals and achieving their real potential.

“We try to do things differently, to cut through the bureaucracy and the red tape,” said the Prince. “And I believe that approach has paid off.”

It has for most of the youths that pass through the Trust’s doors. Of the 40,000 youths that the Trust supported last year, 73% moved into employment, education or training.

This achievement, though, comes at a high financial price, so the proceeds from We Are Most Amused will be most welcome. The good news is that the tickets for the November 12 show at the New Wimbledon Theatre sold out in one hour, even though the roster is as yet incomplete. But with icons like Williams, Cleese and Atkinson on the docket, there is little doubt as to the quality that both the stand-up and comedy sketch performances will deliver.

Royal Princes To Join Bikers In African Trek

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Prince William and Prince Harry are to take part in a grueling 8-day motorbike trek across South Africa later this month.

The Royals – who own their own motorcycles and have been riding for years on their father’s Highgrove estate – will join a group of 80 people in the 2008 Enduro Africa ride, an annual event to raise money for charity.

Each rider in the event has paid US$2,600 to take part, raising a total of US$521,000 for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and Sentebale.

“The Princes are looking forward to the motorcycle ride that will raise money and the profile of Sentebale, a charity very close to their hearts, and two other major charities in southern Africa,” said a Royal spokesperson.

The 1,500 mile trek takes riders along South Africa’s wild and dramatic east cape, with riders traveling in groups of 10 during the day and camping together at night.

“We’re very honored to have the Princes, especially as they came to us,“ said a spokesperson for Enduro Africa. “We’re looking forward to riding with them and, as they are both in the Armed Forces, I’m sure they will have the grit to get through because it’s not easy. There are no road signs and it’s not like riding anywhere in the UK so they will need a guide. They will go through game reserves, tribal areas and wild areas.”

More information about the ride can be found at the Enduro Africa website. Registrations for next year’s ride are now open.

Stars Become Brokers For BGC Charity Day

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

BGC will hold its 4th Annual Global Charity Day on Thursday 11th September.

Consistent with its theme, “Working Globally – Giving Locally”, BGC’s offices around the world will raise money for charity as they commemorate September 11 by reaching out to help others.

In New York, London, Paris, Sydney and Hong Kong, celebrities from the worlds of music, stage, screen and sport will join the company’s brokers to help raise money for a number of selected charities. All of BGC’s global revenues generated from the day’s trading will be donated to charity.

Events will take place around the globe, with celebrities becoming stock brokers for a day. In New York, stars such as Tony Sirico, Donald Trump, Steve Buscemi, Regis Philbin, Matthew Modine, Leighton Meester, and Scott Gomez will become traders on Wall Street, while in London, Prince Charles will join Kevin Spacey and Jerry Hall in the City to trade on the markets.

Charities that will benefit from this year’s Charity Day will include: Barnardo’s, Breast Cancer Care, Scope, the Jodie Kidd Foundation, the Prince’s Trust, Baby Buggy, the Rainbow Trust, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Variety Club, the National Down Syndrome Society, the Valerie Fund, the Wounded Warrior Project, Nordoff-Robbins, and many more.

The annual Charity Day has raised over $15 million for charities around the world. For more information about this year’s events, visit the BGC website.

Charity Choices Of The Royal Grandchildren

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:30:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Queen Elizabeth’s first granddaughters, are launching into some of the responsibilities that come with their HRH titles – one of those being charity.

It was recently announced that 19-year-old Beatrice will become the first Junior Ambassador for Children In Crisis. Founded in 1993 by her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York, the organization provides education to children of the poorest countries in the belief that it is the essential ingredient in lifting children out of poverty.

Beatrice said, “I always remember the old saying, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for life. That’s why I am so keen to help this campaign to educate children. We have the most amazing charity.”

She also is interested in Springboard For Children, whose volunteers help kids that have trouble with reading and writing at inner-city schools. Being dyslexic, Beatrice has a personal interest in the struggle.

Her younger sister, Eugenie – now 18 – is looking at Kids Company, which provides support to vulnerable and traumatized inner-city kids with emotional therapy and education, and which her uncle, Prince Charles, is also involved with.

Princes William and Harry, the Queen’s first grandsons, have already garnered quite some experience at fundraising for charities, near and distant. The latest was a charity polo match, held last month as part of William’s 26th birthday celebrations, to benefit The Countryside Foundation For Education – whose outdoor programs educate hundreds of thousands of UK school children each year through farm visits – and the African wildlife protection charity of which William is Royal Patron, Tusk Trust.

Prince Harry, possibly the most eager of the grandchildren, has gone so far as to co-found the Sentebale charity, which benefits underprivileged, disabled and AIDS-orphaned children of Lesotho. Harry not only heavily promotes the endeavor, he dedicates much of his own time and manpower to the charity’s projects.

Prince Charles Seeks Charity Opportunities In India

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:30:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Prince Charles entertained noted Indian social worker and actress Shabana Azmi and her husband Javed Akhtar as his guests in London this weekend to discuss ways to resolve urban and health problems in India.

The 59-year-old Heir Apparent – well known for his extensive charity work with the Prince’s Trust, the Prince’s Drawing School, the Prince’s Regeneration Trust, and the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment – invited the pair to talk about the ways volunteer workers can help people who suffer from poverty and hunger in India, as well as long-term India-Britain relations with regard to charitable causes.

“Prince Charles is planning to extend his charity programs in India and had sought our advice on specific areas where his trust can spend money for long-term benefit of society,” said Azmi, who runs a homeless shelter. “We have decided to recommend three areas – urban problems, water shedding, and universal health access – to Prince Charles to use his charity funds, as these areas need immediate help.”

Azmi and Akhtar have also been invited to meet with Prime Minister Gordon Brown during their visit to the UK.

Prince Harry Following Diana’s Path

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:36:00 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

British Prince Harry, second son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, has partnered with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso, second son of the late King Letsie III and Queen Mamohato. Together they have created the Sentebale charity to help the most vulnerable orphans in the southern African country. The name means “forget-me-not” in Lesotho, which the Princes found appropriate in every way: forget not the victims of poverty, not the orphans, and not the mothers.

Prince Harry – who claims both Princes’ mothers have been an enormous influence in this endeavor – says, “It’s a way that both me and Prince Seeiso can relate to our mothers, who were both in sort of the same jobs working with orphaned children. Both our mothers were hugely connected with AIDS, especially the orphaned children from that itself. I wanted to carry on as best I could what she started and what better place than to do it than here? I’m sure she knew this place.”

Launched in 2006, Sentebale aims to improve the lives of Lesotho’s needy through grass roots organizations that lack recognition yet can fill the gaps that larger organizations are missing. Support comes in the form of management, infrastructure, entrepreneurial projects and liaising with international grant-makers, NGOs, local service providers and government.

Harry said, “As we traveled round Lesotho we saw the same thing [repeatedly]: great work being done in the community by amazing volunteers who weren’t able to attract support because they didn’t have professional managers or accountants to show where the money was going.”

Some of their completed projects include the building of a child counsel centre, a kitchen in a home for teenage mothers, a computerized Braille machine for blind teenagers, and crop sharing efforts. In a land where children can get raped because traditional healers preach that sex with an innocent girl can cure AIDS, the Princes are looking for ways to increase their impact on the lives of these children.

“Support is desperately needed in Lesotho,” said the Prince. “The statistics tell their own story. There are a minimum of 120,000 orphans and possibly a maximum of 200,000. The life expectancy is 37 years and falling, and the prevalence of HIV and AIDS is at least 30 per cent of the 1.8 million population and it seems to be climbing.”

Around 70 people die in Lesotho from AIDS every day.

Stars Honor Inspirational Young People

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:13:10 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Several socially-conscious celebrities joined Prince Charles at a special event on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate young people who have succeeded against the odds.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Jenni Falconer, and Richard E. Grant were among the 1,500 people who attended the UK finals of the Celebrate Success Awards in London yesterday, March 18, to recognize the work of young people who have overcome homelessness, drug addiction, and unemployment to achieve business success with the support of the Prince’s Trust.

“I am a great admirer of the Prince of Wales,” said Paltrow. “The work he has done through his charity to help young people is quite remarkable”.

The main accolade of the event – the Young Achiever Award – went to 20-year-old Ian Fisher, who beat a heroin and crack addiction to establish a business educating children and prisoners about the dangers of drugs and binge-drinking.

“Ian has shown remarkable will-power and strength of character to overcome drug addiction and prison,” said Paltrow, who presented the award. “I am personally humbled by how such a young man can put his past experiences to good use and help others avoid similar problems.”

Kevin Spacey was also impressed with the inspirational stories shared during the ceremony, and was on hand to present an enterprise award to 29-year-old single mother Claire Hutchinson, who overcame unemployment to establish a recycling business through a low-interest loan and mentoring from the Prince’s Trust.

“Claire’s success just shows how a little support can go a long way,” said Spacey, who also revealed that Hutchinson’s business now employs 25 people and has donated over $500,000 to a local children’s charity.

Band of Brothers actor Damian Lewis presented a community impact award to a team of unemployed young people who revived a Second World War memorial garden in Witton, Birmingham.

“Civilians who died in the World War II heavy bombing were often buried without a permanent tombstone,” said Lewis. “I think the young people from this Prince’s Trust team did an amazing thing, providing a crucial place for relatives to remember their lost ones.”

The Prince’s Trust has helped more than 575,000 young people who are not in education, employment, or training since it was established in 1976. More information about the work that they do can be found at www.princes-trust.org.uk.

KT Tunstall - Globally Cool

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 09:25:48 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

She is Scottish, she is a rock star, she has sold millions of albums all around the world, and yet she does not own a car or even a television. Her new recording studio has been built using 100% reclaimed wood, sheep’s wool insulation, and solar panels, and her house is the same. When it comes to being environmentally friendly, singer/songwriter KT Tunstall is almost as revolutionary as her music.

September saw the release of Tunstall’s third album, Drastic Fantastic, which quickly climbed to the top of the charts in many countries. It has already outsold her 2006 release, “Acoustic Extravaganza”, and is set to reach the lofty levels of 2005’s “Eye To The Telescope”.

But music is only one of Tunstall’s passions, the other being the state of the environment. When not performing or recording, Tunstall is usually found hard at work supporting ecological causes. In 2005, she planted 6000 trees in Scotland to offset the environmental cost of her first CD. And July 2007 saw her perform an extremely energetic set at the Live Earth concert held at Giant’s Stadium in New Jersey.

“I feel responsible because I am making money out of it,” said the 32 year old singer, whose hits include Suddenly I See and Black Horse And The Cherry Tree. “I use bio-diesel fuel on my buses and carbon-neutralize the audience’s journey to the gigs. With this next album, a portion of the money is going towards investing in renewable energy sources in developing countries.”

Tunstall has recently involved herself with Global Cool, a ten year campaign which plans to inspire one billion people to each reduce their personal CO2 emissions by one tonne. She joins a long list of celebrities involved with the initiative, including Stephen Fry, Josh Hartnett, Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Pink, the Kaiser Chiefs, Orlando Bloom, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

“Stop completely twatting your planet,” she said on the Global Cool website. “We haven’t got anywhere else to live.”

The start of September also saw Tunstall return to her roots when she went busking in Glasgow. But this time it was for charity, with a street side performance in front of the Buchanan Galleries shopping centre that raised $550 for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.

“Music is a really special way of helping disabled children,” said Tunstall. “I have a deaf brother who loves playing drums because he can really feel it and gets a lot out of it. I had heard of Nordoff-Robbins and they asked if I would be interested in raising a little money for them when I was in town. It was so different to when I first busked. In between every single song, I felt like I had to say the money wasn’t for me.”

More information on KT Tunstall’s new album and ecological beliefs can be found at www.kttunstall.com, and to work out your own personal CO2 usage and what you can do to lower it, visit www.globalcool.org.

Jamie Oliver Gives Recipe to Prince

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 00:02:17 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has offered the Prince of Wales the use of one of his recipes for charity.

The recently-created gingerbread recipe may become part of Prince Charles’ Duchy Originals range of foods, the profits from which go directly to the Prince’s Trust charity.

Oliver made the offer at a reception hosted by the prince at Clarence House for the cooks and headteachers of 60 schools. The event aimed to stress the importance of giving pupils healthy meals—the topic of Oliver’s “Jamie’s School Dinners” TV show and associated campaign.

The UK government have pledged to improve school meals following the campaign, and Oliver said, “In a a year or so we will review what’s happened.”

“We will study where the money’s gone. As usual with politics there’s a lot of detail involved. It has captured the public’s imagination and lots of good stuff’s happened.”

Look To The Stars News: Prince Charles

Bryan Adams Plays Prince's Trust Gig

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Prince Charles brushes up on first aid skills

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Comedians Are Most Amused For Prince Charles

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Royal Princes To Join Bikers In African Trek

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Stars Become Brokers For BGC Charity Day

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Prince Charles Seeks Charity Opportunities In India

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Prince Harry Following Diana’s Path

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KT Tunstall - Globally Cool

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