Tetra Pak heir Hans Rausing and his wife Julia have donated £10 million to help launch a pioneering initiative to combat the “staggering” levels of youth violence in London.
The billionaire couple have joined forces with The Prince’s Trust, which today revealed one in three young people have been a victim of a violent crime, or know someone who has.
The money will be used to promote role models to those at risk of violence and direct them to free activities, as well as going towards a new youth centre due to open next year.
The Rausings said: “So many young people have the aptitude and willingness to succeed in life, but circumstances mean they need additional support to truly thrive.”
It follows another £10 million donation made by the Rausings to the Royal Academy of Arts postgraduate art school in February.
The Prince’s Trust said the donation would allow it to “scale up” early intervention work — increasing sports, music and arts courses as well as supporting its new centre in Southwark.
Deputy chief executive Ian Jeffers said: “This is a transformative gift.”
