TEENAGER Annabel Ruddiman was upset when she was made redundant from her first job.

But the 19-year-old turned to a charity formed by the Prince of Wales.

And it’s helped the Fixby woman dive in at the deep end of a new career.

Annabel is one of many young people the Prince’s Trust is helping back into work after a donation of £18,000 to a youth charity.

Huddersfield-based text messaging provider SMileS SMS has donated the money to fund the Prince’s Trust Development Awards.

The charity is then able to award grants of between £50 and £500 to help young people access work, training or education.

Annabel, 19, a former Rastrick High School pupil, is one of those to be supported.

Last year she was made redundant from a hair salon and spent six months searching for work without any luck. The Development Award helped her get a job as a lifeguard.

Annabel said: “It was really tough because I had trained to be a hairdresser and then I was made redundant from the first job I had.

“For the next few months I applied for job after job but I didn’t hear anything.

“I was really depressed and fed-up, which is when I heard about The Prince’s Trust.”

Annabel decided she wanted to re-train as a lifeguard but didn’t have the money to pay for the lifesaving course. She applied for a Development Award and received a £270 grant so she could pay for it.

She passed and recently managed to get a job at Halifax Swimming Pool where she’s ready to help others.

Annabel added: “The support from The Prince’s Trust was absolutely brilliant and really made a difference to my life.

“Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to get the job and I would still be unemployed and depressed.”

Last year, the Trust helped more than 3,500 young people in Yorkshire and Humberside, giving them the skills and confidence to find a job.

More than three in four young people on Prince’s Trust schemes move into work, education or training.

Andy Farley from The Prince’s Trust in Yorkshire said: “Annabel is living proof that it is possible for young people to turn their lives around.

“With this extra financial support, we’re hoping to change more young lives across Kirklees.”

To find out more about Development Awards, which are available for unemployed 16-to-25-year-olds, contact Jan Bradley at The Prince’s Trust on 07506692154, or you can email janice.bradley@princes-trust.org.uk.