Prince William visits Moss Side youth projects in Manchester
- Published
The Prince of Wales has been put on the spot when visiting a youth project in a city when a boy asked him how much was in his bank account.
Prince William was in Manchester's Moss Side to learn about how the Manchester Peace Together Alliance is trying to tackle youth violence.
Amir Hassan, 11, made the prince laugh with his financial inquiry during the visit to the Hideaway Youth Project.
The boy said afterwards the future king had quipped he did not know the answer.
The prince was joined by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham after the prince's Royal Foundation and the politician's office donated £50,000 each to bolster the work of the Manchester Peace Together Alliance.
The funding will be used to create an employment, skills and training programme for young people at risk of violence.
Prince William met some mothers who had lost children to violence, including Audrey Preston, 57, whose 21-year-old son was killed three years ago.
She said: "I think it's important he came into Moss Side to listen to our stories. When I was told he was coming I thought 'wow, why would he want to come and listen to me?'.
"Lots of kids get murdered in this area and nobody cares really about the families, we're just left to our own devices, so it's good he came, good for the community."
The prince also visited Jessie's Wall, a memorial built in tribute of Jessie James, a teenager who was shot dead in 2006 in a park in Moss Side.
Later, he visited the Moss Side Millennium Powerhouse, a community hub with sports facilities and a library.
He brought with him his own donation to the food bank, a basket of food of cultural importance to Jamaicans, but sometimes hard to buy in the UK, including okra, yams and dragon fruit.
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- Published10 May 2022