Young Sounds UK and Future Talent

Young Sounds UK - “The Cheryl King Trust Award”

Young Sounds UK have been running Thrive, their annual awards programme, since 1998 and have given awards to more than 1,000 exceptional young musicians, many of whom have gone on to prestigious music colleges and become professional musicians.

Musical talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t: family finances and other obstacles too often get in the way. Young Sounds UK is here to change this!

Thrive and their other programmes help talented young people from low income families to fulfil their musical potential and support others to identify and nurture talent wherever they find it.

Young Sounds UK is delighted to have supported a number of students to date with the Young Sounds UK Cheryl King (Hirst) Award.

The Cheryl King Trust continued their support of Young Sounds UK through The Cheryl King Award which supports talented young musicians from low-income families in Surrey. Our recipients this year are Johannes, a drummer from Addlestone and Rhys, a guitarist from Egham.

Johannes wrote: "Thank you very much for the award. Some ambitions I have for music are to pass my Rockschool Grade 8 drums, and to successfully improve in my drumming skills to complete part of my bronze Duke of Edinburgh. I hope to become a professional drummer in the future, and would like to join a Christian worship band. I have recently begun to play the guitar as well, and I could probably buy my own guitar with this award money too."

Rhys has been supported by Young Sounds since 2021 and is in his final year on the programme. Rhys had some difficult times before joining the programme with mental health issues related to autism.  Since joining the programme he has made great progress in many areas. His mum has said: “Music has truly changed Rhys’s life and given him hope. All I can say is thank you so much for helping my son find his smile.”

Click here to learn more about Young Sounds UK and how to apply for a Thrive award. 

Support for the Future Talent Fledgling Programme

Founded in 2004, Future Talent works across the UK to support gifted young musicians up to the age 18 from challenging backgrounds.

Through their various development programmes, Future Talent offers unique opportunities for young musicians to build confidence, develop personal skills and enhance their musical experience. 

The Trust provides an annual bursary towards Future Talent’s Fledgling Programming for promising younger musicians. 

Click here to learn more about the Fledging programme and how to apply.