Trust in the future

Ditching the gang was his lifesaver The carer turned Young Ambassador Rock bottom to skyhigh confidence Giving voice to teen mental health How she left past terror behind her Motivation to abandon drugs trouble Young nominees who turned lives around

From the age of 11 Reece cared for his mum but the strain caused him to unravel.

“Eventually the cracks started to show; I got into fights at school, I was depressed, and filled with pure hatred,” he explains. When he left She lost her dad, battled anorexia and was self-harming by ten. Then she experienced bulimia and suicide attempts.

Her late teens were spent in and out of psychiatric wards when she lost several friends to suicide, too. But The He started struggling at school after his dad left home and became caught up in a gang using and selling class A drugs.

The 31-year-old, of Glasgow, says: “I left school at 17 and tumbled from one unfulfilling job to another. I was always in his Glasgow home he ended up homeless, and his mental health declined.

But after a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, he was referred to The Trust and his life changed. Reece, 22, secured a job in retail, and was invited to be a Trust Young Ambassador. “Talking about my life, The Trust and the issues facing young people felt good,” he says. Prince’s Trust Team programme at Colin Glen in Belfast was the catalyst that enabled Lucy, 21, to change her life. She is a mental health advocate who has been elected chair of the Northern Ireland Youth Forum and delivers suicide awareness talks. She says: “I never thought I’d make my 21st birthday – thanks to The Trust I’m alive.” trouble with the law.” He has overdosed twice, lost a close friend, and has been diagnosed with panic disorder – but he went on to study psychology. He turned to The Trust for help exploring a business idea, secured a grant, and runs The Motivational Dude, inspiring people through talks. “It is my mission to help change 100,000 lives by 2020, he says. THEIR smiles belie a troubled past but reflect their bright futures.

These young people have beaten huge hurdles and are finalists in The Prince’s Trust Young Achiever at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards, with TSB.

The winner can be seen on ITV1 on November 6.

Bullied then expelled from school for attacking another student, Ryan, 25, of Belfast, turned to drink and drugs. He then became addicted to anti-depressants after a suicide in the family, and was barely leaving the house. Then a friend signposted him to The Trust’s Get

TRANFORM Carer She was groomed when aged only 14, and her prolific perpetrator was jailed.But when he was freed she was terrified, and after a relationship breakdown, she found herself homeless.Her Jobcentre Plus adviser encouraged her to join the Team project. “They

INSPIRE Life coach The changes Omar made to his life saved it – and now he wants to save others’ too.Gangs were all around the young Muslim when he was growing up in central London.He lost three friends to knife crime and watched others go to prison. Later, after a business project

Started outdoor pursuits programme.“My confidence went through the roof, I felt anything was possible,” he says. He has became one of The Trust’s most inspirational Young Ambassadors. CHANGE New start