A long-standing charity based in Cumnock has been rebranded for the accession of King Charles.
Buckingham Palace has announced that all of the King’s long-standing charities have been rebranded in recognition of his accession to the throne.
As the Prince of Wales, Charles set up the youth charity the Prince’s Trust; the Prince’s Foundation, which promotes the built environment, heritage, culture and education projects; and the grant-giving Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF).
But 14 months after he became monarch - and a week ahead of his 75th birthday - the palace announced the organisations’ names have been updated to become The King’s Trust, The King’s Foundation and King Charles III Charitable Fund.
The foundation, run from Dumfries House, promotes the built environment, heritage, culture and education projects, was formed as part of a reorganisation of 21 of Charles’s charities in the year he turned 70.
The estate is the bustling headquarters of The Prince’s Foundation and is one of East Ayrshire's most popular tourist attractions and event venues, welcoming more than 170,000 visitors every year.
Its recent initiatives have included a Winter Warmers drive with free hot drinks and soup and craft activities at Charles’s country estate Highgrove to help combat loneliness and the cost-of-living crisis.
READ MORE: King Charles joins Dumfries House 15th anniversary celebrations
Charles once spoke of his hope his two sons William and Harry, now the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex, would take over the Prince’s Trust, which he set up with his Navy severance pay in 1976.
But William is paving his own way as the new heir to the throne, focusing on homelessness and mental health.
Earlier this week, William said he wanted to “go a step further” than his family and bring real change to the causes he supports.
The switch in name to The King’s Trust means the monarch will be keeping this charity and the two other organisations firmly under his wing, despite the demands of his role as King.
He launched the trust to help disadvantaged young people overcome challenging circumstances, get into employment or launch their own businesses and it has become one of the UK’s leading youth organisations.
READ MORE: King’s charity offers Dumfries House bagpipe lessons to help treat lung conditions
A spokesperson for the trust said: “We are pleased to announce that we will become The King’s Trust.
“The evolution of our name enables us to retain proximity to our founder, His Majesty The King, reflecting his continued dedication to our work since 1976.
“As we work towards this change over the coming months, we will continue to support young people and communities who face disadvantage and adversity to access employment, education and training, in the UK and around the world.”
The charity has also collaborated on a luxury fashion line with Yoox Net-A-Porter – as part of its Modern Artisan project, which gives students from the UK and Italy the chance to design and make a sustainable line of outfits as part of a textiles skills training initiative.
The King Charles III Charitable Fund, funded in 1979, awards grants to non-profit organisations under the core themes of heritage and conservation, education, health and wellbeing, social inclusion, environment and countryside.
It has been awarded funding of more than £70 million over nearly five decades and receives most of its income from the Waitrose Duchy Organic brand, established by Charles in 1992.
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