Prince William praised by Mansfield homeless man

Rikki Krilous, 38, who is a father-of-four, said he approached the Duke of Cambridge at a visit to The Beacon Project to "shake his hand" and thank him for finding the time to talk to the town's homeless community.

Mr Krilous, who has two children from two separate relationships, has spent a number of years living on the streets and, most recently, had problems with arrears in a council property.

But during a royal engagement at The Beacon Project, where he receives guidance for his issues and support with food, he thanked William for listening to his concerns.

He said: "I approached him to shake his hand for coming along to talk to us all. I have been homeless on and off since I was 13 and I've struggled a lot. The project has been lifesaving for me."

In an exchange with Mr Krilous, Prince William said: "You are the sort of person we need to get into the system earlier, to break the cycle."

The Duke of Cambridge was also praised by Mansfield's mayor Andy Abrahams, who was a volunteer at the Beacon Project for two years before being elected in May 2019.

He said: "It's fantastic having him down here, there are a lot of people using this service who have been here for a long time and it's really nice seeing them engage with him.

"When I spoke to him, I told him about all of the work the council has been doing with the Mayor's 500 Fund, supporting charities across the town to improve their work and raise their profile."

During the meetings, users get chance to meet with organisations such as Framework, an outreach charity for rough sleepers, as well as talking to representatives from the NHS and Mansfield District Council.

Phil Myers, a volunteer at Framework, was at the visit. He said: "Any exposure which will help us address the issue of rough sleeping is welcome. The more people that are aware of the issue, the better.”