AN ENTREPRENEUR from Darlington has had his dreams come true, thanks to The Prince's Trust.

Stephen Moore, 30, opened Moores Ultimate Combat in April last year, with a £1,000 grant and a £2,000 loan, together with support from trust's business programme.

A year later, his business has grown and he is about to make his last loan repayment.

Mr Moore has always been interested in martial arts and taught himself a wide range of disciplines.

As a result, he now has a number of Amateur Martial Arts Association (AMA) qualifications including, master of unarmed combat, master of hand against weapons combat, master of weapon against weapon combat and martial arts instructor.

Although he had the skills, he found no support for his business idea, until he heard about the trust's business programme, through Darlington's Business Link.

Mr Moore runs martial arts sessions for young people. In the evenings, he teaches self defence classes and hopes to expand those in the future.

Mr Moore said: "Without the help of The Prince's Trust my business would never have got off the ground, let alone get to where it is today. As I make the final payment of my loan, I would like to say a very big thank you to them for enabling my dreams to come true."

Judith Gill, head of enterprise and skills at The Prince's Trust for the North-East, said: "It's fantastic when a trust-supported business does so well and supports other people."

For more details about the trust, call 0800 842 842.