YOUNG people who got into business with the help of the Prince’s Trust have been speaking up about the support they received.

The charity runs an enterprise programme that helps people aged 18-30 decide whether self-employment is right for them.

The scheme targets those who are unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week and have an idea for a potential start-up.

There is a four-day course plus one-to-one support and help applying for a loan of up to £4,000.

Four Enterprise courses are among the eight or so programmes run by the Prince’s Trusts office in Bournemouth.

It held an event in Bournemouth Square to make people aware of the scheme.

Ginette Boyd, programme executive in Bournemouth, said: “It all starts with a four-day business course which takes people through the things they need to be aware of.

“After that, there’s the mentoring from our volunteer mentors and then there’s the possibility of funding. It’s modest funding but sufficient to start up.”

Jay Spetch is a young ambassador for the charity after receiving help to start his successful business Cosy Guttering.

His business involves cleaning gutters up to four storeys high from ground level, using video technology and eliminating the need for cherry pickers and scaffolding.

“It was quite big in America and I was one of the first people to jump on it. I started it because there was no one else doing it,” he said.

He said he had benefited from having people examine his business idea and supporting him.

Dominic Richards, of Poole, launched a home IT support business after doing the four-day course.

“I didn’t understand the first thing about business when I started and it was all explained in a way I understood,” he said.

“I picked the whole thing up in the course of four days.”

He now supports people through their IT headaches, which could be as simple as setting up an iPad for an elderly person.

“The Prince’s Trust were really helpful. They started me off with a budget for marketing for a year to get my name out there,” he said.

“Without that, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”