The Prince’s Seeing is Believing is Business in the Community flagship programme for engaging UK business leaders with key social responsibility issues.
The programme was set up by HRH The Prince of Wales in 1990. Over the past 20 years, Seeing is Believing has taken more than 7,000 business leaders into deprived communities, visiting organisations such as homeless hostels, prisons and schools, encouraging a dialogue with people on the ground and showcasing successful examples of business engagement.
History
Seeing is Believing was born in 1990, from an initiative of HRH The Prince of Wales and Business in the Community to help regenerate the milltown of Halifax, West Yorkshire. The town had seen a decline in jobs and opportunities through the 1980s and HRH believed in the role the private sector could have in supporting its recovery.
He was convinced that if business leaders could see the issues faced by Halifax for themselves, then they could decide to support the town's regeneration. It is in this context that a group of senior business leaders was invited to visit Halifax in 1990. The visit was a great success as many of the businesses invited committed to help the town through its recovery.
As a result of this experience, HRH started Seeing is Believing, a unique programme of visits designed for business leaders and run by Business in the Community.