BURY man Rod Foster is a prince among mentors!

He has received a coveted award in tribute to his work with the Prince's Trust in giving his time free to support young people who are starting businesses.

Rod (72), has been crowned the Prince's Trust and Barclays Business Mentor of the Year for Greater Manchester. The award was presented by Jim Gavin, Barclays' head of business in a ceremony at Preston University.

The awards, supported by Barclays for the second consecutive year, recognise business people who have given their time for free to support young people set up in business by The Prince's Trust. The charity helps 18-30 year-olds who cannot get the finance elsewhere to start their own small enterprises.

Rod, of Watling Street, Affetside, was nominated by Steve Logan of Manchester-based Intellisoft UK Ltd. Steve said: "Rod exceeds the duties required of the business mentor role and has provided excellent practical support over the years. Rod is special and without his support, my accounts would be a real mess!

"I have been really impressed with his patience when he visits me and the fact that he is able to use his principles of best practice in resolving problems because of his experience in mentoring others. Although our official three year mentoring period is over, we still maintain regular contact and he is very flexible."

Christine Martindale, Barclays regional manager, said: "The volunteer mentor role is a vital one in releasing the business potential and enthusiasm of young people who would not otherwise have had the opportunity to start a business.

"Rod has been a Prince's Trust business mentor for 11 years and is renowned for his dedication to The Trust both in giving his support to those starting up new businesses.

The Prince's Trust and Barclays Business Mentor of the Year Awards celebrate the contribution made by more than 8,000 Prince's Trust business mentors. These mentors bring an expertise and knowledge of business to young entrepreneurs, providing invaluable guidance and advice. They typically volunteer three to four hours per month of their time. A total of 233 Barclays managers undertake the role on a voluntary basis.

Rod's background is in civil engineering. When he retired from work in 1991, he was a director of well-known engineering company Allot & Lomax.

He said: "I'm very pleased to receive the award. It's nice to be appreciated. I try to bring an all round business element to mentoring. I may not know the technical sides of all businesses but I do know something about business in general."

Rod was presented with engraved glass tumblers, a framed certificate and a silver pen at the awards ceremony.