Gold Award Achievers Honoured at Buckingham Palace

A number of our students recently completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, the most prestigious level of this nationally recognised scheme that develops independence, resilience and teamwork. To mark their incredible achievement our students were invited to attend a special presentation at Buckingham Palace. Emma L and Martha F, share their experience and their journey to Gold.

For Emma, the event was a welcome break from her A Level revision. “Walking around the beautiful gardens of Buckingham Palace in the sun made for a relaxed morning, even if I came away with more blisters from my heels than I managed to get climbing Helvellyn mountain in the Lake District!”

Martha enjoyed the many activities available in the Palace gardens, including photo opportunities, a tea tent and speeches from six inspirational speakers. “The Duke of Edinburgh himself gave a speech, alongside a Youth Ambassador. It was such a memorable experience.”

Martha also reflected on her wider DofE journey. “The practice expedition was the first time I’d done anything quite so difficult – we didn’t know what would work and what wouldn’t, which was part of the challenge. But by the time we got to the qualifying expedition in the Lake District, I felt a lot more prepared.” Her team had refined their food plan (including homemade brownies for morale!) and learned what essentials to carry. “It was quite wet – unsurprisingly – so I was very grateful for a dry pair of pyjamas. The sense of achievement when we reached the summit of Helvellyn is something I’ll never forget.”

For her Volunteering section, Martha gave her time to Slough Foodbank, describing the experience as “incredibly eye-opening and a chance to give back to my local community.” She also trained in martial arts for her Physical section, achieving her red and brown belts and qualifying as a Senior Assistant Instructor. Her Skills section saw her complete Grade 8 LAMDA in Musical Theatre, and for her Residential, she and fellow student Emily M attended a Conservation Camp in Slapton Ley. “It was a really cool way to learn about sustainability,” she said.

Congratulations to all our Gold DofE students for their determination and hard work.