November 20, 2025

A care-experienced entrepreneur, who was recently named IoD England’s Aspiring Director of the Year, is calling on the public to help fund a new enterprise and wellbeing programme for vulnerable young people in Hammersmith & Fulham. Rees Davis-Campbell, founder of Bee N Spired, has already secured over £35,000 for the initiative, including a £20,000 pledge from the local council, and is now seeking final support to bring the project to life.

The programme, called The Boss Experience, will launch in early 2026 and offer 30 care-experienced and at-risk young people aged 14–25 the chance to design and trade their own beauty and wellbeing brands. Fifteen of the participants will be from Hammersmith & Fulham, ensuring direct local benefit.

Mr Davis-Campbell, whose own journey includes growing up in foster care, surviving sexual assault, experiencing racism, and being abandoned in Kenya at age 14, says the project is rooted in lived experience and a determination to change outcomes for the next generation.

“Too often professionals ‘adultify’ young people when it suits them yet leave them out of the most important decisions about their own lives,” he said. “We restrict, while others recruit. And then we call them ‘hard to reach,’ when in reality we are trying to reach the version of themselves they had to become to survive. The Boss Experience flips that script.”

The nine-month programme combines enterprise training with emotional support, offering dual accreditation through City & Guilds and Employability Skills Level 2. Participants will gain hands-on experience in cosmetic science, branding, finance, and teamwork, alongside mentoring and pastoral care. Each young person will complete four days of work experience—two in person and two virtual—through Springpod’s employer network.

The initiative is co-created with partners including Become, Zivana Consulting, Meta Mortgages, and the London College of Fashion, which has signed a knowledge-share agreement to support progression into its Cosmetic Science degree. Bee N Spired is also working with London Metropolitan University to create a pathway into its HNC Business course.

Virtual Schools have warned of a lack of post-16 enterprise pathways for care-experienced youth, with many excluded from education or labelled “high risk.” The Boss Experience aims to offer a practical and creative alternative, bridging the gap between skills and wellbeing.

“They don’t need pity,” Mr Davis-Campbell said. “They need real pathways.”

One participant shared their experience of a recent workshop: “I don’t really meet new people, I’m not really out there. But I put myself out there today and I feel good about myself… Everything I learnt today I hadn’t done before—I’ve taken part, I’ve put myself out to the world, and I met new people.”

Donations can be made via the Spacehive campaign page: Creating Futures That Weren’t Offered. Every £2,000 raised funds a place for one young person, covering workshops, materials, mentoring, work experience, and qualifications.

The Boss Experience will run weekly after school and monthly on Saturdays, culminating in a public trade fair where participants showcase their ventures. With 65% of funding already secured, Bee N Spired is urging businesses, residents, and supporters to help close the gap and back futures that weren’t previously offered.

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