The Prince of Wales founded the Prince’s Trust 30 years ago and its present chief executive, Martina Milburn, rather hopes that it won’t still be around in another 30 years’ time. “If we were out of existence,” she says, “it would be the ultimate accolade, because it would mean we had done our job.
“But, sadly, what we do now is essential. We turn young people’s lives around and target four key areas: young offenders; those leaving care; educational under-achievers; and the unemployed. At least 5 per cent of those we help fit all four descriptions. The Prince calls them the lost generation.
“We help 40,000 people a year, and it costs £50 million. We get grants for half that, and the rest comes from corporations and individuals, including many entrepreneurs who take the view ‘There, but for the Grace of God . . . ’
“I have three sons and this is a cause I empathise with. So many young people take a wrong turning through drugs, alcohol or family breakdown. It is rewarding to hear from people we have helped and we get letters along the lines of: ‘If it weren’t for you, I’d be in a gutter and with a needle in my arm — or in prison’.”
Before joining the Prince’s Trust, Martina was chief executive of BBC Children in Need. Yet she had never intended to work in charity, having first been a journalist. But she specialised in articles covering the sector and was headhunted by the spinal-cord- injuries charity Aspire. “I was asked to run it for a year but stayed for seven,” she says. “I started with three people and left with 100.”It was there that she recruited her PA, Roslyn Jones, and they worked together there for three years. After Martina went to the trust, for which she had no fewer than five job interviews, the final one with the Prince of Wales, Roz stayed on at Children in Need.
Advertisement
When the vacancy came up for a role to be Martina’s PA at the trust, Roz applied. “The interview was nerve-racking,” says Roz. “I couldn’t make anything up or overstate my importance or value, because of course Martina knew. Also, I didn’t want to let her down.”
Roz and Martina have now been working together again for a year at the trust and have enjoyed the resumption of their partnership. “Roz is calm, never ruffled or bad- tempered, and she is good at telling me, in a very gentle way, what to do,” says Martina. “She says things that people in my position need to be told but often aren’t.”
Roz recalls: “Everyone at Children in Need was sad to see Martina go — she is such an inspiring person.
“But I that knew discussions about her new role were taking place and that she’d get it — I had such faith in her. Here, I look after her and make sure that she has everything she needs to do a good job, and that she spends her time in the best way possible.
“The job means a lot to me. I had a great upbringing and supportive parents, but not all young people have that.
Advertisement
“A lot of my friends work in commercial areas and have smart offices where everything matches — but I am not sure that they get the job satisfaction that I do from working in the voluntary sector.”
The coming months will be busy for Martina and Roz, with many events to organise celebrating 30 years of the trust. The high spot will be a live TV concert in May in the Tower of London, attended by the Prince, the Duchess of Cornwall and Princes William and Harry.
Does that mean that the Prince of Wales will be on the phone more times than usual to the cause that he founded?
Probably, but it’s unlikely to faze Roz. She says: “The Prince takes a very active role. He is a long way from being just a figurehead. He or his office often ask to speak to Martina, and they’ll be at a lot of functions or private visits that never make the headlines.”