I completed my Bronze, Silver & Gold D of E - although regrettably I never collected my gold award. D of E gave me so many memories, skills and lifelong friendships. Silver is probably the most memorable experience. We completed our expeditions on Dartmoor. The final day of our expedition began like many with rain. The continued but it didn’t deter us. He hit our checkpoints on time - Ducks Pool Memorial being the last. After this point we became trapped - surrounded by water, paths became rivers and our escape route of following the river impossible. We went back to our previous checkpoint but our assessors had been and gone. We set up in survival bags, blew our whistles and waited. In time we put up a tent and 5 girls squeezed in. We could hear helicopters ahead and eventually we were rescued, but with ground too wet, we had to walk quite a way to the Land Rover waiting. The experience certainly developed resilience and I’m sure it is why I remain calm and unflustered in various situations. I loved my whole experience of D of E and the adventures they led me to have. My 2 sons have also taken park in D of E, one kayaking for his gold and the other completing Bronze in the Peak District. It has given me an appreciable of the outdoors, enjoying beautiful walks and continue to be involved and volunteer with organisations that interest me. Thank you for the experiences, the memories and the skills I still use today.