The King has heard “incredibly powerful” testimonies from two young men on how his charity helped reshape their lives after they were caught up in violence.
On Friday, King Charles was at Dumfries House near Cumnock, East Ayrshire, home of The King’s Foundation charity.
Joined by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, he met with ambassadors and officials from the King’s Trust, formerly the Prince’s Trust, and members of the Police Scotland-led Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU), an initiative that aims to target all forms of violence behaviour.
The King listened intently as they heard from two young men, Reece Hayes and Mohammed Mansaray, who had endured many years of hardship due to various forms of violence.
The two spoke of their stories and how the King’s Trust and the SVRU had helped them to break the chains of their old lives and begin anew.
Mr Hayes, 28, told how his troubled youth led him to become involved in crime as he grew up.
He told the King: “My life was just going absolutely nowhere.
“I actually thought when I went to the trust for support they were going to turn me away because I thought I’d be too controversial to help.
“At this point in time, I didn’t really see my life going anywhere, I didn’t have any aspirations, I didn’t really think that I would be able to go to university, I didn’t think I was intelligent enough.
“When I went to the Princes Trust they really supported me, they gave me so many opportunities in employment, because I had really struggled to gain employment because I had convictions.”
The King’s Trust says it believes that every young person, such as Mr Hayes, should have the chance to succeed, no matter what their background or the challenges they face.
Through the help of the charity, Mr Hayes is now in university studying social work and has gained employment.
He said: “The Princes Trust really supported me into employment, they also helped me get back into college, university, and gave me loads of opportunities as an ambassador which led to loads of work over the last few years with different organisations and charities.
“It led to my current social work degree and I would just say that the Princes trust has changed my entire life over the last eight years and given me a whole new path and has made me very ambitious.”
The King, who listened carefully through his testimony, smiled and replied: “Fantastic.”
He also heard from Mohammed Mansaray, who did not disclose his age or country of origin, but spoke of how he arrived in Scotland as an asylum seeker in March 2020.
Mr Mansaray now calls Glasgow his home, but when he first arrived in the city he was placed in a hotel, where he was stabbed five times and was saved by emergency services.
The injuries he sustained however, had caused his “dream” of becoming a professional sportsman to wither.
He told King Charles: “At that point in time, my dream of becoming a professional footballer died. And I was just staying at home doing nothing, thinking about killing myself.”
With the help of the charity, he was able to get back on his feet.
He said: “I am in university now, not thinking about all this bad stuff.”
The SVRU works to identify innovative, evidence-based solutions to violence.
The unit is made up of police officers, civilian police staff, and people who are experts by experience.
The SVRU works closely with colleagues and partners across health, education, social work, housing and many other fields using a public health approach to reducing violence.
The King asked the men: “Are you able, as a result of your experience to provide some help to The King’s Trust in what they’re trying to do?”
Mr Hayes replied: “Any time The King’s Trust asks me to do anything, I’m always 100% there over the last eight years.”
He recalled meeting King Charles at a previous event in London.
The King joked: “You’ve got a very good memory.”
Charles added: “I’m so grateful to you, and I look forward to updates on the progress you are making. Thank you.”
Speaking to the two men, Ms Rayner said: “What I find inspiring about what you say is the opportunities that were given so that you could find your voice and also help others.
“It’s incredibly powerful and hopefully the work you’re doing now and what you are achieving is giving opportunities to other people as well.”
– If you are struggling to cope, please call Samaritans for free on 116 123. Other sources of support are listed on the NHS help for suicidal thoughts webpage. Support is available around the clock, every day of the year.
