Bedfordshire PCC: "Without Prince's Trust I wouldn't be here today"
Festus Akinbusoye benefited from the new monarch’s charity, which he founded in 1976.
Last updated 15th Sep 2022
A debt of gratitude has been expressed to King Charles III on social media by Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
Festus Akinbusoye revealed he benefited from the new monarch’s Prince’s Trust charity, which he founded in 1976 as the Prince of Wales.
The organisation helps turn around vulnerable young people’s lives, while also supporting unemployed 11 to 30-year-olds, as well as those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion.
The PCC said on Twitter: “For what it’s worth, at the age of 22 when I was desperate to get funding to start my business, no bank would touch me.
“One told me ‘we don’t do business with your postcode’. I was still living at home in my dad’s council flat then in E16, Canning Town, at that time.
“It never dawned on me that banks do this. I was a naive kid just trying to make something of himself after finishing university.
“The disappointment was real. Then I found out about the Prince’s Trust. I got the start-up loan I needed.
“Were it not for this organisation and the business mentor it provided over a three-year period, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.
“So I’m not alone in having more than one reason to celebrate King Charles III. I know thousands of others like me have benefited from this charity.”
The PCC also vented his frustration at some of the criticism directed towards the monarchy.
“It’s a very sad reflection of our world today that some people are so full of venomous bile, that they refuse to see or acknowledge the good in any or most things,” he added.
“We shouldn’t allow our world to become this bitter, divisive and hate-filled place.”