Monday 21 November saw nine young people from Bowdon receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award at St James’s Palace. Although last year nearly 120,000 people completed a DofE Award, it is estimated that only 1% of the population have achieved a Gold Award.
Paul Griffiths, DofE manager for Greater Manchester, led the presentation. We were also able to meet HRH the Earl of Wessex. He was very interested in our experiences and encouraged us to continue volunteering and practising the activities and skills that we had learnt.
TV presenter Alice Beer presented our certificates and described some of her DofE experiences. She is still very grateful for these today, describing them as the beginning of her next stage in life, rather than the end of an era.
Having the opportunity to visit the palace, meet Prince Edward and finally receive our awards after over 12 months of hard work was very rewarding. So if you are considering doing Gold or even just starting DofE, go for it and you definitely won’t regret it! Completing your DofE Award is hard work but also an amazing experience, and something you will remember for the rest of your life.
Sophie Huggon