Former College student wins top Prince’s Trust Award

A former Weston College student who struggled to live independently has won a top award from the Prince’s Trust.

Carly Williams, of Weston-super-Mare, won the Trust’s Samsung Young Achiever of The Year award, and was presented with it by Prince Charles at a glittering ceremony at the Odeon cinema in London’s Leicester Square.

Carly, 21, won the South West heat of the award in November last year and was put through to the final with three other nominees who all had overcome barriers and sustained work/ education.

Despite struggling with depression and low self-esteem , Carly came to Weston College and completed an Access to Higher Education course.  She is now studying social work at Sheffield Hallam University.

With her at the ceremony was Danielle Day, who supported her throughout her time on the Prince’s Trust programme and is now a Weston College staff member.

She said: “We always knew Carly was capable of going to university, but she lacked confidence in herself and she needed support.  As her confidence grew she found she could do the things she wanted and she’s fitted in really well at university.

“She has done amazingly well, and I was so proud of her when she went up to receive the award from Prince Charles. The cinema was packed full of celebrities, and Carly made Prince Charles laugh when she kicked off her shoes before walking up the steps to receive her award.”

Carly was placed in care from the age of five and her time as a looked-after child wasn’t easy. Her first placement was one of many to break down.

It wasn’t until she was placed at the age of 13 that she began to receive the support and stability she had always craved. However, when she turned 18, she decided to live independently.

“I loved my foster parents, but after 13 years in the system, I was encouraged to live on my own, only it wasn’t how I’d imagined,” she said. “I was lonely and everything got on top of me. It was like lots of the stuff that happened to me when I was young had come back to haunt me.”

Carly sank into a depression and needed medication and counselling to help her cope.  Her confidence was in tatters when she joined Team, a Prince’s Trust programme that gives unemployed young people the skills and confidence to f ind work.

Rising to different challenges on the programme, Carly became more patient, discovered she had talents for problem solving and organising others, and felt a real sense of worth on a community-based project.

The actress Joan Collins was among the celebrities (including Ant and Dec, Pixie Lott and Vernon Kay) who attended. She said: “It is an absolute honour to be celebrating these truly remarkable and inspiring young people. I would like to congratulate each and every one of them for turning their lives around and showing that with just a little support, you can go a long way.

“Too many young people are facing unemployment, homelessness and depression. I have been a Prince’s Trust Ambassador for a number of years and have seen first-hand how vital their work is.”