By David Cohen

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As Nial lined up with around 40 young people to meet the King of England, a ripple of nervous excitement passed through the group. “Are you ready?” someone asked.

The King moved down the line, stopping to speak to each participant. When it was Nial’s turn, the 25-year-old felt overcome. “Sir, what you are doing with The King’s Trust for young people is amazing,” he said. “A lot of young people are lost and don’t know where they’re going in life — I was one of those lost people.”

The King asked what he did and when Nial explained he was a chef looking to launch a catering business, His Majesty pressed him on his business plan.

“He didn’t know what he was in for,” laughed Nial. “I was so inspired, I just started talking and couldn’t stop. Eventually, I realised — hang on, he’s got more people to speak to — I better let him go!”

Nial is one of 70,000 young people who have been supported by The King’s Trust in the past year. Over the last five years, 75 per cent of those completing Trust programmes have gone into work, training, or further education.

In Nial’s case, it was the Enterprise course — designed to help budding entrepreneurs turn their passion into a business — that made the difference. The course provides each participant with mentoring, start-up funding and guidance on how to build a viable business.

Enterprise is one of four flagship programmes offered by The King’s Trust, our partner in the Destination Unknown campaign to help unemployed young Londoners into work or business.

For Nial, who grew up in north London and left school with 11 GCSEs but no A-levels, starting a food business had long been a dream — but one he didn’t know how to pursue.

“I always knew I wanted to work in food, but after school I went down so many dead-ends,” he said. “I did a business administration course — but it wasn’t my thing. I ended up on another course aimed at people without any GCSEs, and I remember thinking: ‘What am I even doing here?’ I was 19 and I already felt I’d fallen behind my peers — even those with worse GCSE grades than me. It really messed with my head.”

Then came the breakthrough: he realised he didn’t have to work behind a desk — he could work in a kitchen.

“That’s where my story really begins,” said Nial. “I took an 18-month chef course and got an apprenticeship at the Royal Air Force Club, cooking for veterans. I worked four days a week in the kitchen and did one day at college. It was an incredible experience — and everything took off from there.”

He quickly progressed, working in high-end restaurants around Green Park and Chelsea. But the dream of running his own business still burned.

“I didn’t know where to begin, or have the confidence. Then a friend told me about The King’s Trust and how they help young people launch businesses. I signed up.”

Nial began the Trust’s 14-month Enterprise course — while working 13-hour shifts at a Mayfair restaurant. “It wasn’t easy juggling both, but I knew this was my shot. And at the end of that first year, it all started to click.”

Now, backed by a £1,900 start-up grant and the ongoing support of a King’s Trust business mentor, he is finally ready to launch his catering venture, that he is calling The Nial. “I am currently building the website, getting the business registered — and hoping to start trading soon,” he said. “I’ve had all the support I could have asked for and I’m feeling confident and excited to take this next step.”

You can help more young people like Nial take their first steps into work and a more hopeful future.

Photography by Elliott Morgan. Visit kingstrust.org.uk/destination-unknown for more information or to donate

The King’s Trust has contributed £80,000 to help the Standard cover the costs of this appeal. This funding has been used to raise awareness of the Trust’s charitable work, helping it to transform young lives. The King’s Trust is a registered charity incorporated by Royal Charter in England and Wales (1079675) and Scotland (SC041198)