Philip Hemsted has been a mentor for The Prince’s Trust for almost 20 years working with a number of young business owners as well as, more recently, developing Digital and Creative courses and volunteering in school as part of the Mosaic programme. 

He was initially inspired to volunteer after reading a book which introduced the idea of ‘chunking’ four types of work – paid for work, home work, study work and voluntary work. Upon setting up his own consultancy business, he worked began to set about ‘chunking’ his own work time, deciding to volunteer for The Trust. 

Since the coronavirus pandemic, Philip has continued to support his two business mentees.

Both have been impacted by the pandemic, particularly with the way they interacted with their customers. For example, one carried out workshops with customers which paused at the point of lockdown.

Together, he and his mentees are working on ways to adapt their business products, considering alternative sales platforms and to plan for the future.

In addition to the invaluable support he has offered Prince’s Trust businesses, Philip has turned his attention to helping to provide vital PPE for those who need it most. Upon researching the situation, he came across the National 3D Printing Society working with MedSupplyDriveUK to assemble a manufacture and distribution network. Philip says:

I’ve used 3D printers in the past but didn’t have my own, so managed to buy one and set about making PPE face visors and surgical mask clips. To date I’ve delivered over 200 PPE face visors to the national scheme and also to local hospitals and care homes. I’ve learnt how to use CAD/CAM software as well as how to print with a 3D printer – they can be quite fiddly to set up and get consistent results

Reflecting on his time with The Trust, Philip feels that he has learnt more from the young people than they have from him, helping him to see things from a different perspective and inspiring him to continue to work with others.