Prince Charles joins pop star Cheryl to see Newcastle charity work

The Prince of Wales joined pop star and presenter Cheryl in Newcastle to see the work of the charity he founded to support young people.

Prince Charles arrived by royal train at the city's central station and then travelled by Metro to Haymarket to mark the network's 40th anniversary.

Its Gateshead to Newcastle line was opened by the Queen in November 1981.

The prince was later joined by Cheryl at the Newcastle base of The Prince's Trust, which opened three years ago.

At Haymarket station the prince met staff who had worked for Metro operator Nexus since the trains started running.

He also unveiled a plaque commemorating the Metro's anniversary.

Earlier, as he arrived in Newcastle, he talked to staff from Gateshead-based charity Changing Lives.

It helps people experiencing homelessness, sexual exploitation and addiction as well as mental health problems.

Prince Charles started The Prince's Trust more than 40 years ago to help young people learn new skills and find work.

Cheryl opened the trust's centre in Newcastle's Blandford Square in 2018.

The £2m youth centre has a music studio and media centre.

She raised funds for the centre after saying she wanted to help others after having struggles in her own life.

Cheryl said: "It was incredibly inspiring to meet young people in Newcastle today and hear how transformational the Prince's Trust support has been for them."

James Tyer spoke to the prince about his planned launch of a delivery service in Newcastle using electric bikes.

Afterwards, the 29-year-old from Ouseburn, Newcastle, said: "Charles is a big spokesman for environmental issues, and he seemed very interested in my business.

"I thought I would be more nervous chatting to him but he was really genuine and he seemed really interested in what we had to say."

During the visit the prince was joined by George Dent, one of the young people on the course, to ice cupcakes that he had made.

After meeting Charles, the 22-year-old from Tynemouth said: "The cake making went well but it was a struggle for him to get the icing out."

Satwika Saran, who has a vegan and vegetarian food delivery service in Hartlepool, also spoke with the prince.

The 20-year-old uses recyclable tiffin boxes in her business, which eliminates plastic waste.

Charles chatted to her about Bombay tiffin deliverers and she said he was interested in her work.

The founder of Mas And Monkeys said: "It was surreal talking to him about Bombay - that is the business model that I want to bring to the North East."

The Prince also went to the Discovery Museum where he met people on a scheme called Ways to Wellness, which helps people living in the city's West End with long-term health conditions.

The service works by social prescribing or getting people involved in local groups and activities, offering them one to one support to help them improve their wellbeing.

The scheme has been acknowledged for helping people lead healthier lives and reducing the cost to the NHS.

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