13th March 2025
Prince William Visits Faithworks Through Homewards Partnership
On 28th February, Prince William visited Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) to see firsthand the impact of partnerships in addressing homelessness as part of the Homewards initiative.
His Royal Highness spoke with Dan, whom he first met 18 months ago at the Faithworks Carpentry Workshop during the launch of Homewards BCP. From the spotlight Homewards put on the Workshop – Faithworks Training, Sunseeker Skills Academy and Bournemouth & Poole College crafted a pathway through charity, education and into incredible employment opportunities, with support throughout. A pathway that Dan flourished on!
“Life is good for me now in that my life is more constructive and that I’m adding to the workforce of the community and the country as a whole. So, I feel a lot of self-appreciation.” Dan, former FW Trainee, now Sunseeker employee.
Faithworks Carpentry Workshop offers a unique opportunity to build woodworking and life skills in a safe, supportive, and engaging environment. The course is designed for people striving to overcome barriers in their lives and to take real steps towards education, volunteering and employment.
Rob Cox, Commercial, Communications and Trainee Development Manager, Faithworks explained:
“It’s amazing to celebrate real change in action alongside our inspiring partners. This pathway shows what can be achieved when charities, educators and employers unite their skills and vision.
The day highlighted that the things you’ve gone through in life don’t determine where you go next, you can draw strength from them. Daniel is a perfect example of this”.
The Sunseekers Skills Academy provides students with a complete boat builder job-ready programme followed by an interview with Sunseeker on completion of the course.
Hosted at Bournemouth & Poole College, the training provides a fantastic opportunity for Faithworks Trainees to graduate on to. Applicants are referred by Faithworks and then receive ongoing support from the team as they complete the programme.
Born out of the Homewards BCP partnership, the Skills Academy demonstrates that together with local businesses and education, we can create practical, sustainable and collaborative ways to help end homelessness.
Launched in 2023 by the Prince of Wales and The Royal Foundation, the Homewards programme is a transformative five-year, locally led programme that aims to demonstrate that together it’s possible to end homelessness – making it rare, brief and unrepeated.
“Homewards aims to give people across the UK hope that homelessness can be prevented by showing them the progress we can make when we collaborate.
It’s a big task, but I firmly believe that by working together it is possible to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated” – Prince William, Homewards
You can find out more about the Homewards initiative on their website below.
