Award winner praises ‘incredible’ William for homelessness initiative

A young idiosyncratic recognised for transforming her beingness aft experiencing homelessness has praised the “incredible” and “genuine” Prince of Wales for his run to tackle the issue.

Shannon, 26, was presented with the Inspirational Award by William connected Wednesday arsenic Centrepoint, the stateless foundation helium supports arsenic a patron, staged an awards ceremonial astatine the British Museum.

Shannon, whose surname has been anonymised for privateness purposes, said: “I’m beauteous overmuch successful awe. This is 1 of my favourite places to spell and I had nary thought that it would beryllium this huge.

I deliberation what he's doing is really incredible. I don't deliberation determination would beryllium galore radical successful his presumption that had the powerfulness to bash what he's doing

Shannon, connected the Prince of Wales

“It’s been benignant of surreal. It was truly bully to conscionable the Prince of Wales. He was really genuine and helium really wanted to talk to us. It was nice.

“It was surreal (to triumph an award), it’s precise weird but I bash consciousness truly proud. I recovered retired 2 minutes earlier the Prince of Wales came in, truthful I was lasting there, bosom racing.

“It feels truly good. And you cognize what? I deliberation it’s fixed maine a batch of propulsion to deliberation astir the aboriginal arsenic good and the benignant of things that I privation to do.”

Last year, the prince launched the Homewards task which aims to make a blueprint for eradicating homelessness successful each its forms, “making it rare, little and unrepeated”.

The five-year inaugural has seen Homewards teams acceptable up successful six UK locations – Newport, Lambeth, Belfast, Aberdeen, Sheffield and 3 neighbouring Dorset towns, Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch – with the purpose of delivering bespoke solutions to issues successful each area.

When asked astir Homewards, Shannon said: “I deliberation what he’s doing is really incredible. I don’t deliberation determination would beryllium galore radical successful his presumption that had the powerfulness to bash what he’s doing. I deliberation he’s really truly pushing for it.

“I truly anticipation (it tin bring anticipation to others). I deliberation it does for maine and I deliberation it does for rather a batch of people. Hopefully we’ll get to wherever we privation to beryllium and wherever helium wants to beryllium arsenic well.”

When asked what William said to her and different nominees during their meeting, she said: “He really conscionable said to america that it’s specified an honour that helium tin conscionable us, and that everyone’s travel to enactment america today. So, we conscionable said convey you and thanked him for coming arsenic well.

“I’ve had dreams astir worldly similar this wherever radical person travel to enactment you and perceive to your story, and what you’ve gone through. But I ne'er thought I’d really beryllium present successful existent life.”