DofE Gold Award achievers Florence Avis and Jordan Amir-Hekmat (Photo by Clive Goodall)
Fresh from appearing as Mrs Hammond, the Headmistress in the latest series of Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe, actress Serena Evans presented over forty young people with their Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Silver Awards on Sunday 12 March in St Mary’s Church.
Best known for her classic role as Police Sergeant Patricia Dawkins in The Thin Blue Line, Serena congratulated the young people for pushing through the pain of heavy rucksacks, long distances, disgruntled teammates and hours of volunteering to achieve their awards. She continued by sharing a few of her own tips on how to conquer a fear of public speaking.
Over forty DofE Bronze Awards were also presented by Trafford Council Leader and local councillor Sean Anstee, before DofE’s Steph Ashcroft provided Gold Badges to Florence Avis and Jordan Amir-Hekmat, so that they could wear them on their visit to St James’s Palace later this year.
YouTube singer songwriter Izzie Naylor performed during the award presentations.
Lisa Brown, Bowdon’s DofE Award Organiser, explained afterwards: “Our young people have really earnt their certificates. Nationally, only 52% finish DofE, yet over 97% of last year’s Bronze Award intake and 75% of the Silver Award intake received their awards today”.
Bowdon’s DofE Centre will be inviting applications in October for their next intake.
Will Sudworth, Bowdon DofE Manager