Louis Vuitton 'out of blue' gift to Cornwall youth hub

Pearl Bamford's parents set up a centre in her name to help young people

Luxury leather goods giant Louis Vuitton has made a "generous" donation to a north Cornwall organisation that helps young people.

The donation, to mark the bicentennial of the birth of Louis Vuitton's founder on 4 August 1821, has been made to the Pearl Exchange in Bude.

The donation arrived last week, said Megan Foster from Pearl Exchange.

"It came out of the blue ... It's really cool to be recognised by such a huge brand," she said.

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Pearl Exchange was created as a community interest company in 2019 by the parents of Pearl Bamford, 19, who died in Truro in March 2019.

The talented and lively teenager had been struggling with mental health, anorexia and depression.

The organisation offers free studio space, workshops and skill-sharing for people aged 18 to 30 with an interest in the creative industries.

Ms Foster said Pearl Exchange had been "lucky enough to be chosen by someone" with connections to Louis Vuitton, which asked 200 collaborators to name an organisation to win an award for its LV200 Project supporting charitable trusts.

The Pearl Exchange on Summerleaze Downs is a place for young people to meet and share creative ideas

She said: "Luckily it was someone who has seen the work that we do."

She could not reveal the amount of the donation, which the group was informed of via email, but said it was "generous" and it would help a crowdfunding campaign to raise £48,000.

Pearl Exchange's counselling services at Summerleaze Downs had been a "huge success", she said, and the organisation was working with local employers to find people find jobs in the "very deprived area".

No-one was available for immediate comment from Louis Vuitton.