The Stonebridge-based Jason Roberts Foundation continues to reach out far and wide, with Prince Harry witnessing the work they do on his royal visit to Grenada this week.

Young people from the newly formed ‘Youth in Action’ initiative, which is supported by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, met with the Prince during his visit to Queen’s Park on Monday.

His appearance, which took place in the Grenadan capital of St George’s, coincided with the formal launch of an ongoing partnership between Laureus and the JRF, aimed at improving the wellbeing and lifestyle of youngsters living in the Caribbean.

The ‘Youth in Action’ programme is made up of teams of volunteers, who in turn will run sports based social action projects on the island to promote social inclusion and community cohesion.

The individuals are former players who have represented Grenada at the Homeless World Cup tournaments in Amsterdam and Glasgow respectively.

These young people in particular have grown in stature enormously, with much of that down to the JRF sporting and personal development training sessions throughout this year and last.

In addition to the participants from this programme, there were other boys and girls at Queen’s Park taking part in football, cricket and netball sessions, with the Prince, JRF founder Jason Roberts and Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Sean Fitzpatrick, the former All Blacks’ captain, casting their eye over the sessions.

From 2017, Laureus will be working closely with the JRF to further enhance a programme of sports participation and personal development across Grenada, with unemployed young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those at risk of offending and reoffending.

The partnership will also produce a sport for development curriculum and an independent report with recommendations for how the concept can be repeated in other parts of the Caribbean, while previous graduates will act as roles models and mentors for new participants in the project.

On the news Fitzpatrick said: “At Laureus we believe that sport has the power to change the world and Prince Harry has shown his own personal commitment to that concept over many years.

“Everyone will applaud him for his idea to create the Invictus Games which shows how sport can be a dynamic force in helping recovery and I am delighted that we have been able to tell him about our new project in Grenada.

“Along with the JRF, we are determined to put this new programme on the map and hope that this is just the start of our work in the Caribbean.”

Roberts added: “I am extremely proud of the young people that have participated in our programmes in Grenada to date, and the new partnership with Laureus is another fantastic opening,

“To be announcing this partnership alongside a Royal visit demonstrates the impact that sport as a tool for development can have, and the credibility it has around the world.”