Prince William and Kate visit UK seaside town as they support young people's mental health

Prince William and Kate visit UK seaside town as they support young people's mental health
Live stream 1069
Cameron Walker

By Cameron Walker


Published: 03/11/2022

- 13:00

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 10:33

The Prince and Princess of Wales have spearheaded funding to support young people's mental health

Prince William and Princess Catherine have spearheaded funding to support young people's mental health, designed to leave a lasting legacy and impact in Scarborough.

William and Kate visited the Yorkshire seaside town on Thursday to visit communities where they want to make a difference.


A panel made up of young people will decide where the £345,000 of new funding, made available through the work of Their Royal Highnesses' Royal Foundation, will go.

It is hoped the impact from their funding decisions will be felt by communities across Scarborough - a town where almost one third of residents live in areas among the most deprived in England.

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for a visit to The Street, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, a community hub that hosts local organisations to grow and develop their services, as part of their visit to the area to launch funding to support young people's mental health. Picture date: Thursday November 3, 2022.
Prince William and Princess Catherine
Danny Lawson

Thursday is the first time The Royal Foundation is piloting a new "Community Impact Day" designed to leave lasting legacy and impact from Prince William and Princess Catherine's visit.

It is understood The Prince and Princess of Wales intend to pilot other 'Community Impact Days' next year, focusing on other issues they are passionate about.

"The fund for Scarborough is the perfect opportunity to involve young people in decisions that affect them", according to the Chief Executive of Two Ridings Community Foundation, Jan Garrill, who leads the charity that helped The Royal Foundation make funding available.

The provision of mental health services in Scarborough are often inadequate due to a lack of funds, which means young people can "find themselves stuck in a cycle where support is brief and insufficient."

It is hoped the new funding will help community organisations "intervene early" to prevent a young person's mental health reaching crisis point.

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for a visit to The Street, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, a community hub that hosts local organisations to grow and develop their services, as part of their visit to the area to launch funding to support young people's mental health. Picture date: Thursday November 3, 2022.
Prince William and Princess Catherine visited the Yorkshire seaside town on Thursday
Danny Lawson

On Thursday, Prince William and Princess Catherine met young people on the funding panel who themselves have been supported by community organisations.

Katie Robinson, a young person on the panel said: "I know what issues young people care about and what support and services they need, as well as being actively involved in ensuring that change happens and is meaningful to all young people."

She added: "We need safe spaces, affordable activities and preventative support for our mental health, not just crisis support which is where this funding will really help."

Their Royal Highnesses spent time at local community hub 'The Street' where they met with the grant panel and three organisations the funding will support: Gallows Close Centre, Sidewalk Youth Project and Flash Company Arts.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have championed mental health provision for a number of years and are "committed to delivering lasting impact" through the work of The Royal Foundation.

In 2017, the 'Heads Together' campaign encouraged more people in the UK to talk openly about mental health, and more people started accessing services as a result.

The new funding was made up of donations from local people and organisations "keen to make a difference".

During their visit to Scarborough, Their Royal Highnesses are also expected to see first-hand how communities are rallying to help those who are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

You may like