Charity connects young people with professionals

A new initiative is giving young people in Cornwall the chance to gain access to places and experiences that would otherwise be "out of reach".

The Lord Lieutenant Fund at charity Young and Talented Cornwall said the launch would help them build confidence and broaden their horizons.

It follows the successful pilot of Catalyst, a scheme which had connected five young people with leading professionals and practitioners which created "highly personalised opportunities" designed around their individual talents and ambitions.

The new programme is supported by Cornish Metals and its CEO Col Sir Edward Bolitho KCVO OBE said the county had an "incredible wealth of young talent".

He said: "Access to the right people, places and experiences isn't always as easy to come by," he said.

Bolithio said the pilot had shown them how "powerful" those connections could be.

"Catalyst can open more doors, create more extraordinary experiences and help more young people see just how far their talent could take them."

Don Turvey, CEO of Cornish Metals, said the company was committed to making a positive and lasting contribution to Cornwall.

Turvey said: "We view supporting the next generation as key to this."

"Catalyst is a brilliant example of what can happen when organisations and individuals come together to invest in the county's future."

He said they were "proud" to help Young and Talented Cornwall and give more young people the chance to experience their own "break-through moment".

The Catalyst pilot was supported by professionals and organisations across Cornwall who offered experiences to young people.

This included aspiring sabre fencer Elger meeting Olympic gold medalist Ed Coode to explore the mindset, preparation and resilience required to progress from a talented young athlete to Olympic champion.

Another young person, Connor, was shown behind the scenes at RNAS Culdrose to help him with drone technology and electrical engineering.

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