Six GOLD DofE Awards!

It was amazing to hear from the Duke of Edinburgh Award Regional Office that six of our former students had been awarded their Gold Awards at Buckingham Palace: Ben  Johnson, Christopher Sweby, Christopher Homes, Matthew Cobbett, Vincent Waller and William Ladd received their Gold Award from HRH The Earl of Wessex on Friday 20 May.  It was incredible to see so many young people who worked hard for their Gold Award finally able to receive the recognition they deserve, witnessed by their chosen companion for the day.  I have been informed that, despite a very wet morning, it was a fantastic day; and a great reminder of why The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is so important.

This wonderful occasion reminded me that we had not congratulated the students who undertook their Gold Practice expedition in Wales at the end of April.  Luckily we were blessed with good weather for most of the trip.  As always, I would like to thank the staff who accompanied us, Mr Rylance and Mrs Mabbott, for the time they gave up over the long Bank Holiday weekend.  The Learn Outdoors staff were very impressed with students’ pinpoint accuracy across some tough terrain that had minimal landmarks from which to navigate.  However, as you can see from the photographs below, the area was stunning. 

All the students showed great resilience as, at this level, they are camping in sites that are very basic (or, as on one night, wild camping).   We are now looking forward to the qualifying expedition which will take place during Enrichment Week in July when we will be heading back to Wales.

As always, we are very grateful for the support that families offer, ensuring that the students complete the sections of their DofE by uploading evidence and Assessor reports. As we come ever closer to the last half term, it would be wonderful to issue as many DofE certificates as possible before the end of the academic year. 

Ms Wilson-David, DofE Manager