I have so much to thank the Duke of Edinburgh for. He changed my life. In 1966 at the age of 17 standing on the lawn of Buckingham Palace, I was surprised the Duke and Sir John Hunt stopped and spoke to me. I have no idea what they said, I was overwhelmed. To achieve the Gold award took me nearly 4 years of challenging but rewarding work which involved Serving, learning, being challenged and under going leadership training. The award shaped my life and I will always be grateful to him. After a lifetime of volunteering I was awarded an MBE and only achieved this through the discipline of the award. May the Duke of Edinburgh rest in peace.