Duke of Cornwall Celebrates Young Talent at YT20 Anniversary Showcase

Published On: 18 November 2025Last Updated: 18 November 2025By CornishStuff

📷 YT20 celebrated the latest Young & Talented Cornwall grant recipients, from musicians and singers, to dancers, sportsmen and women, scientists and creative writers, in the largest funding round to date. 57 grant recipients have been awarded over £80,000 to help them achieve their potential.

Young talent from across Cornwall was celebrated in style on Monday 17th November as His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall led the twentieth anniversary showcase for Young & Talented Cornwall, The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund.

Held at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro, the YT20 gala brought together well known Cornish names and the next generation of performers, athletes, scientists and writers for an evening designed to show what young people can achieve with the right support.

A Night of Cornish Talent

A filmed message from His Royal Highness was played to a full auditorium of young people, families, past recipients and supporters. In it, The Duke of Cornwall described Cornwall as “a beacon of creativity, imagination and achievement” and said that “young people should be enabled to thrive and flourish, and no talent should be held back by financial or social challenges.”

Messages of support also came from Dame Judi Dench, Dawn French, Will Young and former Young & Talented Cornwall grant recipient Helen Glover, along with many others with close ties to Cornwall.

The evening featured dance, theatre and music, while also recognising the newest group of grant recipients. This year’s awards include support for musicians, singers, dancers, sportsmen and women, scientists and creative writers.

Among them are Lucy Beasley, a 16 year old writer from Callington, 14 year old cyclist Lauren Fox from St Ives, and 17 year old STEM enthusiast Tom Knight from Poundstock. In the largest funding round so far, 57 young people have shared more than £80,000 to help with equipment, travel and training. Creative writers and STEM recipients also receive mentoring tailored to their interests.

Since 2005, the fund has awarded more than £600,000 to over 450 young people across Cornwall.

📷Sponsors and supporters welcome YT20 to the Hall for Cornwall to celebrate twenty years of Young & Talented Cornwall, The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund Image credit Toby Weller

“An Outstanding Demonstration”

Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho KCVO OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, said: “What an outstanding demonstration of the abilities of Cornwall’s next generation. For two decades Young & Talented Cornwall has been proud to help an extraordinary range of young talent thrive, supporting young people in overcoming financial, geographical and social challenges. YT20 clearly shows the powerful impact of nurturing young people’s potential, creating lasting benefits for them, for Cornwall, and far beyond.

“YT20 offers a vision for the future, and I hope it will encourage more young people to believe in themselves and strive for remarkable achievements.”

Creative Collaboration on Stage

Several acclaimed figures returned or contributed to the event:

• Cornwall born choreographer Theo Clinkard worked with young dancers on a specially commissioned performance.
• Musician and composer Jim Carey created the music for a new anthem for Cornwall, written by young writers and sung by the Cornwall Youth Choir.
• Simon Costin, known for creating sets for Alexander McQueen shows, provided creative direction for the procession from Truro Cathedral to the Hall for Cornwall.
• BBC Radio 1 DJ Danni Diston compered the evening.

The showcase received a £19,000 project grant from Arts Council England, made possible by the National Lottery. It was also sponsored by Cornish Metals and St Eval, with support from Hall for Cornwall and Screen Cornwall.

📷YT20 celebrated the latest Young & Talented Cornwall grant recipients , in the largest funding round to date2 Image credit Toby Weller

About Young & Talented Cornwall

Young & Talented Cornwall began in 2005 as The Lord Lieutenant’s Fund for Youth, launched by Lady Mary Holborow and Vice Lord Lieutenant Michael Galsworthy to inspire and support exceptional ability in Cornwall’s young people. The fund is now headed by Colonel Sir Edward Bolitho KCVO OBE.

It supports young people with outstanding talent in fields including sport, the arts, science, voluntary service and enterprise, particularly those facing hardship or disability that could limit their progress.

The fund is administered by the Cornwall Community Foundation, an independent charity that manages over 60 funds for the benefit of local communities. Since 2003, the Foundation has invested over £15m in communities across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Registered Charity No: 1099977

About Arts Council England

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. Its strategy, Let’s Create, sets out a vision for England to be a place where everyone has access to high quality cultural experiences and where creativity is valued.

Between 2023 and 2026, the Arts Council will invest more than £467 million of public money from Government, plus an estimated £250 million each year from The National Lottery. The National Lottery, celebrating its 30th anniversary until Autumn 2025, has raised £49 billion for good causes since 1994, funding more than 690,000 grants.

Next Round of Grants Now Open

Applications for the next Young & Talented Cornwall funding round are now open. Grants cover a wide range of categories, including sport, performing arts, creative writing and STEM subjects.

More information and applications are available at youngandtalentedcornwall.org