I still have my record book and logs from when I took part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Brighton from 1961 to 1963. On reading through them again I am amazed how many varied activities I took part in – first aid, stamp collecting, learning German, decorating a room at a hospice, learning about historic buildings, helping on a farm, party planning, the walks and explorations, among many others.
Memories of the Gold Award adventure expedition in particular come back, even after nearly 60 years. We were taken in a minibus to Snowdonia where we camped on a farm. We helped to round up sheep on a steep hillside, got beetles in our pyjamas (at least I was studying the local wildlife), washed in a stream, and walked a total of 50 miles in the neighbourhood of Cader Idris. When the Welsh rain got too severe we were offered a couple of nights in an empty cottage. When a puzzled local heard we were doing the Gold Award, he said he hoped we found some. Our journey to and from Wales took us via cathedrals old and new.
The week’s residential course was held at Burwash Place in East Sussex. My group helped on local farms (I particularly remember cleaning out chicken sheds), but we also explored the local area, canoed on the river Rother, had a piano recital from Clive Lythgoe, and organised an entertainment for everyone at the end of the week.
When we went to Buckingham Palace in November 1963 Prince Philip was very late arriving, having just got back from a funeral in Germany. Nevertheless he said a few words to each of the several hundred young people waiting for him. I am sure the Award sparked life-long interests, particularly in nature, history and camping, and I hope I have passed a spirit of adventure and discovery on to my family.