HRH The Prince of Wales visits Southwark school with business leaders to see impact of his Seeing is Believing programme

First public engagement for HRH to celebrate his 25th year as President of Business in the Community.

Seeing is Believing has been an immensely powerful and personal way of enrolling business leaders in community programmes.

HRH The Prince of Wales, President, Business in the Community (BITC), has today led a group of CEOs to see the benefits that partnerships between businesses and community organisations can bring to society.

The visit was to Surrey Square Junior School in Southwark, recently graded as ‘Outstanding’ in all areas, thanks to the work of Liz Robinson, (the youngest head teacher in the country at the time of her appointment), her staff, and the support of a range of local and national businesses. The school community faces a range of serious social and economic challenges, and has found that the involvement of businesses has raised aspirations and expectations. Volunteers read with the pupils each week, and Governors ensure that the strategic leadership of the organisation is at the highest level.

The visit to the school was followed by a working session at St. James’s Palace, London, for the CEOs who have led Seeing is Believing visits, to report back to HRH the impact that the programme is having on some of the most pressing social issues in the UK’s most deprived inner city and rural areas. The programme is run by Business in the Community.

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community, said: “Business in the Community has been immensely fortunate and proud to have HRH as its President.  In 2010, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of this special relationship and marking the 20th year of his Seeing is Believing programme.

“Under his leadership, Seeing is Believing has been an immensely powerful and personal way of enrolling business leaders in community programmes. Business people can see first-hand how the principles and objectives of responsible business can be integrated and embedded into the culture of the firm, and how the engagement of people at all levels can boost skills in the workplace, as well as deliver lasting impact in society.”

HRH The Prince of Wales started his Seeing is Believing programme in 1990. Business leaders are invited to leave their desks to visit different parts of the country and spend time in inner city schools, homeless hostels, prisons, or tough housing estates. This gives them the opportunity to see first-hand the challenges faced by their future customers, potential employees and close neighbours, and helps them to consider how business can help to find solutions to some of the problems faced by UK communities. More recently, the programme has taken business leaders into rural communities where deprivation can be just as real as in urban areas, but hidden by the beauty of the scenery.

During 20 years of The Prince’s Seeing is Believing, 7,000 business leaders have undertaken more than 800 visits across the UK, witnessing the work of over 1,500 community organisations and schools, and tackling issues of education, crime, employability and social exclusion.

Richard Collier Keywood, Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, said: “Investing in young people in the communities where we have a presence like Southwark, is not only commercially sensible it’s the right thing to do on many levels. Our involvement in Surrey Square Junior School has had a huge impact on many of our employees. We provide practical help to raise the educational achievement and employability skills of the borough’s young people, because it’s a sustainable contribution, not a one off project. 20 years and 40,000 working hours, is a track record we’re enormously proud of that both PwC and the borough have benefited from.”

Liz Robinson, head teacher, Surrey Square Junior School, said: “We deeply value the contributions made to our school community by businesses. At both strategic and practical levels, it is so important to learn from each other, and to ensure that we are achieving the very best for our pupils. It is a real boost to school staff to know that others in the wider community are interested and support our work.”

In 2010, The Prince’s Seeing is Believing visits will be led by chief executives from, Fenchurch Advisory Partners, General Electric, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, Marks and Spencer, MITIE Group plc, National Grid, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Procter & Gamble UK, Serco Group Plc, Sheffield Ltd, Starbucks Coffee Company, United Utilities Plc, and Wates Group Ltd.