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St Austell Brewery Donates £25,000 To Mentor Programme



St Austell Brewery has announced a £25,000 donation to A Band of Brothers (ABOB) Cornwall, a charity transforming the lives of young men through mentorship and long term community support.

 

Founded nationally in 2006 and active in Cornwall for over a decade, ABOB works specifically with men aged 18-25 who are facing significant challenges, often including trauma, addiction, offending, or social isolation. Its Cornwall branches in Penzance, Falmouth and St Austell, run entirely by trained male volunteers, deliver a powerful 12 week mentoring journey culminating in a ‘homecoming’ graduation ceremony that celebrates each young man’s progress.

 

Young men - often referred to the organisation by the judicial system to prevent them from ending up in prison - are supported by one-to-one mentors through their journey.

Not only is St Austell Brewery helping to fund the vital group, but some of its staff are also training to become mentors.

 

Piers Thompson, Head of External Affairs for St Austell Brewery presented the donation cheque from St Austell Brewery’s Charitable Trust to the group last month.

 

Piers said:

“A Band of Brothers is doing extraordinary, life changing work with young men across Cornwall, and we’re proud to support a programme making such a tangible difference in our communities. Our donation will help ABOB train more local mentors, expand the 12 week mentoring scheme, and provide ongoing community support for young men in Cornwall.”

Mentor and local businessman Sam Galsworthy first discovered ABOB around five years ago through the Cornwall Community Foundation. After attending a graduation ceremony, he says he was “so moved” by what he witnessed that he knew he had to be involved.

 

Later, as High Sheriff of Cornwall, Sam made ABOB his chosen charity after a moment he describes as “a lightning strike.” While with the Devon & Cornwall Police forensics team in the emergency call room, he experienced a deeply affecting time.

 

Sam said:

“Whilst working with Devon and Cornwall Police one evening, a hotline went off: a death - a young male, no suspicious circumstances. Half an hour later, another, the same again. Then another. Four calls in three hours. All young men and all from Cornwall. That moment crystallised for me just how urgent the situation was.”

Recognising the crisis facing young men in the county, he joined ABOB as a mentor. He described the experience as transformative. “The most profound thing happens when you mentor, you get just as much back as the young men. At the passing-out ceremonies, the bravery of these young men - sharing their stories, often for the first time - is extraordinary.”

 

Four years ago, James was in a dark place. Drinking heavily, struggling with drugs, and not coping with the pressures of fatherhood, he said his life was “basically going downhill.”


He was introduced to ABOB through the Wild Young Parents Project. After completing the rites of passage weekend and 12 weeks of mentoring, James turned his life around, eventually starting his own business. He has since referred four young men to the charity and even mentored two others.

“It’s a place for men to find community, role models, to learn and grow. It helped me accept parts of myself I never could before.”

One of the men James encouraged to join the programme was his colleague Seb.

Seb, 20, was struggling with alcohol when he started working for James. Seeing the signs he once recognised in himself, James encouraged Seb to connect with ABOB.

 

“Taking that step was huge,” Seb said. I’d struggled with drinking for a while. But I’ve just graduated the homecoming and I’m proud of myself. I dropped out of school and college - I never had that end of year certificate. Seeing all those people there to support me was eye opening.”

 

Since 2003, the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust has been proudly supporting local charities, community causes, and individuals in need across the South West - helping to make a meaningful difference, close to home. More information on the trust can be found here.


  • Oct 24, 2025
  • 3 min read


The positive contribution of neurodiversity to the workplace was one of the key themes of Hampshire Chamber’s latest annual general meeting.


Members were urged to review their company recruitment practices and view greater inclusivity as a strategic advantage in business. Guest speaker Marie Greenhalgh, Relationships Director at specialist education provider Inclusion Education, told the Basingstoke gathering that businesses which embrace neurodiversity are better positioned for future growth, especially as Gen Z enters the workforce with higher rates of cognitive variance. Marie said:

“In today’s competitive and evolving world, businesses need more than just traditional talent, they need diverse minds that bring fresh perspectives, creative problem-solving and unique strengths."

“Neurodivergent individuals, those with conditions such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and others, offer exactly that. They often possess exceptional attention to detail, creative thinking, resilience and strategic insight, qualities that are not only valuable but often rare.”


Marie’s call was echoed by fellow speakers Barry Smith, chair of Hampshire Chamber’s Basingstoke Business Strategy Group, and Matthew Cleaver, Chief Executive of Anvil Arts.


Their presentations complemented a meeting formally organised to review the Chamber’s business performance over the past year and confirm its Board configuration. Describing 2024-25 as a ‘year of investment’ which resulted in a small financial loss, Ross McNally, Chief Executive and Executive Chair, said the forecast was a return to surplus in 2026. And he stressed that events and training income had increased by 16%, one of a series of positive developments.


Ross said two external compliance audits had passed the Chamber’s support for international trade with 100% scores. Activities included the issuing of more than 5,700 documents, with nearly 800 being export or import declarations.


At the same time, more than 2,500 bookings had been made for Chamber training sessions, networking opportunities and other events.


Major occasions included the Southampton business symposium SOGROW, the annual Southampton Boat Show lunch, the fourth year of the Portsmouth & South Coast Business Week and, in Basingstoke, the business sustainability conference and expo Unlocking Hampshire’s Green Potential.


Ross also highlighted the signing of an international UK-EU accord between Hampshire Chamber and Drogheda & District Chamber in Ireland. There was a focus on skills too, with Ross reporting more than 400 engagements between businesses and the Chamber-led Local Skills Improvement Plan for the Solent.


Skills support was a key policy area where the Chamber had lobbied or provided direct insight to government, Ross explained. Other priorities flagged with Ministers included business grants and financial support, transport infrastructure and connectivity, CSR and sustainability.


The meeting, held at the Absolutely Offices in Grove House, Basingstoke, confirmed the re-appointment of Mandy Boughton of Ancasta Yacht Services as Chamber President, a role with both an ambassadorial and lobbying remit and the internal function of providing corporate governance to the Board.


As well as Mandy, two other non-executive directors were given the green light to serve a second three-year term of office: Andrew Kaye of South Hampshire College Group and Richard Thompson of RJT International.


Ross praised the contributions of former President Peter Taylor of law firm Paris Smith and fellow non-executive director Joe Jeffers of Hambledon Vineyard, who are both stepping down after seven years’ service each.


And he thanked Donna Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire & the Isle of Wight and Chair of the National Association of Police & Crime Commissioners, who was appointed a non-executive director in 2024 and stepped down earlier this year.



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