On Friday 3rd September, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a breakfast-themed tea at Clarence House to raise awareness of The Brilliant Breakfast, a nationwide, grassroots event raising funds for The Prince’s Trust, to support young women in the United Kingdom.
Four young women who were supported by youth charity The Prince’s Trust were invited to talk about how it helped transform their lives, by building confidence, giving them training and supporting them into employment. In attendance, were Najla a young carer who is now working for Transport for London, Corrina who has found her dream job in the NHS, and Lauren and Ellie, who both started their own successful businesses with support from The Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme.
Founded in 2020 by Annoushka Ducas MBE, The Brilliant Breakfast will run from the 11th to the 17th October 2021 raising funds from breakfasts hosted in homes and offices up and down the country. From corporate-hosted breakfasts in the office, to eggs on toast at kitchen tables, this event will bring together friends, family and colleagues for a vital cause. The money raised will go directly towards supporting young women on Prince’s Trust programmes across the United Kingdom.
Young women are among the hardest hit by the pandemic which has taken its toll on their education, employment and mental wellbeing.
Recent research from The Prince’s Trust found:
- Over half of young women said their mental health had worsened during pandemic
- Young women were more likely to feel that their work and career aspirations have been damaged, with 66 per cent of young women saying getting a new job feels “impossible” because of the competition.
The founder Annoushka Ducas MBE, wanted to do something after recognising how many young women, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, need a lifeline to support them into education and employment; which has been exacerbated by the challenges caused by Covid-19.
Annoushka Ducas MBE, Founder of The Brilliant Breakfast, said: “We made a great start organising our first year of The Brilliant Breakfast where we helped over 300 young women get back into education and find employment by raising £329K. This year we are aiming high and want to get as close to raising £1 million in 2021.
Vulnerable young women in the UK have never needed help more so this year we are determined to get as many people behind our initiative and raise urgent funds to help improve this situation. There is no better organisation in the country delivering life changing assistance. We are so grateful for the Duchess’ support for our cause.”
Ellie Taylor, from the West Midlands, who attended the tea with HRH The Duchess of Cornwall said: “It was such an honour to share my story with The Duchess of Cornwall alongside other young women who have also been supported by The Trust.
The support I have received from The Prince’s Trust has been amazing. It helped me with my business plan as well as giving me the confidence I needed to start the business, which is an extension of me and my love of animals. I hope The Brilliant Breakfast will raise much needed funds to support more young women like me.”
