Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, visited two local projects on Wednesday (26th February).

He spoke to staff, volunteers and people who use The Beacon Project, a charity that helps homeless and vulnerable people in Mansfield.

Earlier in the day the prince met staff and trainees at Tarmac’s National Skills and Safety Park in Nether Langwith. He also joined bosses of UK businesses to discuss social mobility and training for young people.

The Mayor of Mansfield, Andy Abrahams, said he had the pleasure of meeting the duke at both events.

At Tarmac’s National Skills and Safety Park in Nether Langwith, the mayor also spoke to Stuart Wykes, director of land and natural resources. They talked about the skills shortage in Mansfield district, social mobility and training for young people.

Although the skills park is only available to Tarmac employees at the moment, the mayor is hopeful that an opportunity will arise for the training centre to be an excellent resource that the young people of Mansfield can access at some point in the future.

During the Mayor’s introduction to the Duke it was revealed that Mansfield was his next destination, to visit The Beacon Project for the homeless.

The Mayor was a volunteer for two years at the St John’s Street charity and before he knew it, he had been added to the official guest list.

Prince William chats to the Mayor of Mansfield, Andy Abrahams.

Mayor Abrahams said: “At the Beacon, the Duke took his time and spoke to all the staff in the kitchen.

“He moved from table to table, listening intently to homeless people talking about their experiences.

“He had a particular interest in mental health and we talked about the shortage of funding and resources in that area.

“When a rough sleeper is ready to receive help it is often the case that there is a queue and by the time they are at the top of the queue they could be back on the streets again.

“The Duke was really interested in long-term solutions to the national issue of homelessness, rather than stop-gap measures.

“I spoke to him about the support and funding the council has provided to various homeless projects, as part of our wider strategy to have a more joined-up approach to homeless provision in the district.”

Mansfield District Council was recently awarded £310,628 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to provide a specialist housing project, which is the first of its kind anywhere in Nottinghamshire outside the city.

The project, which will start in April, is based on a model called Housing First and will provide housing and intensive personalised support to those with multiple and complex needs. It aims to provide housing first, as a right, which allows other issues to be addressed — instead of providing housing last or as a reward.

Mansfield is also set to benefit from some of the £836,916.60 that has been awarded to Nottinghamshire County Council for use in all the county’s districts and boroughs.

Part of the funding is for two community psychiatric nurses to assist those with complex mental health issues. They work alongside our outreach team and drug and alcohol worker from Change Grow Live (CGL).

Visit www.mansfieldstreetsupport.co.uk for further information about how you can help the street community by volunteering or donating money or items to existing projects.

If you see someone who is homeless, contact the Framework Street Outreach 24-hour hotline on 0800 066 5356 or via www.streetlink.org.uk to ensure they are offered the necessary support.