Roger Trapp: The Prince's trust can have a vital impact

Like many entrepreneurs, Lorraine Boothe dreamed of setting up her own business long before it happened. But unlike many of her counterparts, she took a while to bring the dream to reality; not because she was busy gaining relevant experience, but because she felt she was in no position to start a business. "I didn't think I'd do it, because I had my first child at 17 and lost sight of it," says the south-Londoner.

Yet she never really let that dream slip away, and last year she finally saw it come true. Now aged 30 and with another child, Boothe received her chance through The Prince's Trust, the scheme set up by the Prince of Wales as a way of improving the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK. Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Trust's Business Programme has helped more than 70,000 people set up their own enterprises. Nor are they just quick fixes: 58 per cent trade for at least three years.

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Boothe's business has got off to a flying start. Zen Health and Wellbeing sells fair-trade jewellery via the internet and trade fairs, and in just a few months has won awards, secured a customer base and even made a profit. Boothe has just relaunched the company's online presence – through www.akalico.co.uk – and is looking to produce a mail-order catalogue.

Boothe, who had worked in a variety of roles before setting up on her own, says she felt rather low before deciding to launch the venture. She was unemployed and looking at a rather bleak future. But, after she approached the Prince's Trust, she was put in touch with an adviser. "It was somebody I could bounce ideas off and they kept me focused and motivated," she says.

She wanted to go into "something ethical" and originally thought about healthcare, but did not feel sufficiently inspired by the products. "I wanted something that would excite me," she explains. "I had an eye for fashion and didn't see a lot of fair-trade jewellery that appealed to me. So I saw a gap in the market."

It has not all been plain sailing, of course. Boothe says that one of the reasons she wanted to run her own business was so that she was able to work around her children's needs. In the event, the business has taken up more time than she anticipated – she is lucky to have a supportive mother prepared to help out with childcare. But she says that the reason she spends so much time working is because she is "really enthusiastic".

It is an enthusiasm she has been able to spread around. Many people she has talked to have been inspired to leave their jobs and set up their own businesses.

Not every disadvantaged young person is suited to running their own business. But for many, doing something on their own has as good a chance of success as anything. One of the aims of The Prince's Trust's Business Programme, which has the support of such well-known entrepreneurs as the Carphone Warehouse founder, Charles Dunstone, is to encourage more young people to have a go at enterprise.

Through the programme, young people aged between 18 and 30 who are unemployed or working only a few hours a week, have access to low-interest loans, grants and legal advice as well as the all-important mentor who can guide them through the traps and pitfalls of setting up in business.

This mentoring approach is being furthered with a series of one-to-one workshops run by established entrepreneurs for the benefit of the Trust's young business founders.

The evidence suggests that there are plenty of them with the ideas and determination to try a new venture rather than rely on casual jobs or benefits. And when you consider that the sort of people the Trust helps are genuinely those without the sort of advantages and qualifications that traditional business backers are seeking, the record is pretty impressive. Not that the help comes cheap. The Trust needs £1m a month to keep the programme going and is keen to attract more donors.

In the meantime, it hopes that its newly-launched Business Club – which will act as a nationwide alumni network for businesses supported by the Trust – will help those giving business a go in the same way that it is looking to its Campaign for Youth Enterprise, supported by Dunstone and others, to encourage more young people from all backgrounds to consider starting businesses. Of course, these all have the potential to make significant contributions to the national economy – as well as giving their founders better lives.

The Prince's Trust could, through its business programme, have a vital impact. Young people who have had a turbulent start in life need tangible access to support and resources – and this is what the Trust provides, a service justified by sparkling gems like Lorraine Boothe. But they remain in need of your support.