Learners from TBG Learning Lambeth were on hand to meet Prince Charles at The KIA Oval cricket ground to mark the announcement of a £4.8 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) to implement Business in the Community’s (BITC) successful Business Connectors programme.

Will Popham, BITC ‘Business Connector’ for Lambeth, introduced The Prince to new staff at the cricket ground who have been involved in a project in partnership with TBG Learning.

TBG Learning Lambeth has helped train and recruit around 200 local people into customer safety stewards, response search stewards and housekeeper roles at the home of Surrey County Cricket Club ahead of the new season.

Darren Avery, business manager for TBG Learning Lambeth, said: “It was a tremendous opportunity for some of the team we’ve worked with to meet Prince Charles and share their experiences of going through training with us to gain employment at a magnificent venue like The KIA Oval.

“The Prince spoke very kindly about the work we’ve being doing in partnership with BITC and the cricket ground and we look forward to continuing the project and helping more and more people from Lambeth back into work.”

BITC Business Connectors are individuals from businesses, trained by BITC and partners including TBG Learning, to build local partnerships between business and community organisations in neighbourhoods of the greatest need across the country.

The Big Lottery Fund grant will allow BITC to harness the power of British business through this programme and transform communities at a local level. Business Connectors has been backed by Prime Minister David Cameron and was originally the idea of BITC’s President, HRH The Prince of Wales.

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