My daughter who is Dyspraxic and partially Deaf struggled with many things but taking part in the DoE really brought her out of her shell and set her up for life in terms of self reliance and determination as well as new skills. Her main supporter was her beloved grandad who encouraged her all the way to achieve her Gold award. She had always promised her grandad he would be the one to go with her to St James Palace to collect the award but time was running out as he was 90 and had Prostate cancer. Normally the award ceremony would have been about 12 months after achieving the award but we contacted the DoE office and explained the situation and all the stops were pulled out and we had a date 2 months later. My Father was so proud and pleased and even though the day was a physical struggle he absolutely loved to be there with his granddaughter. He was then overjoyed to meet the Duke of Edinburgh who made time to talk to him. My father never stopped talking about meeting the Duke up until his death less than 3 months later. My Daughter went on to get a degree a masters and is a special needs teacher married with 2 children.
Thank you DoE for giving my daughter such a boost of confidence to set her on a better life path and for giving my father such a wonderful experience at the end of his life.
Thank you and RIP Duke of Edinburgh