The expeditions of my Gold Award are what stand out the most. Several false starts meant that it was a race to the finish for me, completing my Gold Qualifying exped about 6 weeks shy of my 25th birthday! Two of my Scout Network peers were with me throughout, and walking as a trio became second nature to us over the year or two we worked towards the Expedition section, with other team members coming and going. Particularly memorable moments were the drowning of our first Practice attempt in Derbyshire; the cloudy forecast for our actual Practice in the Yorkshire Dales which turned out to be a heatwave - and not one of us had thought to pack suncream, just in case! We were all rather pink...! And the absolute glory of walking in the Lake District for our Qualifying was the cherry on top. The photo shows us fresh-faced and raring to go at the start of our Yorkshire Dales Practice (myself on the right).
Another highlight would have to be the 60th anniversary Diamond Challenge, for which I walked all 84 miles of Hadrian's Wall, east to west, challenging my Mum to do the same - and she did. It was tough going at times and the sun was often relentless, crisping up my left arm, neck and ear as we marched in the footsteps of the Roman centurions, but it was fantastic.
And I think that's so true of many DofE experiences - they were tough at times, made you question your resolve (or sanity!), and sometimes they beat you and you had to pick yourself up and try again, but overall the DofE scheme is utterly fantastic. It challenges you, pushes you and makes you achieve more than you might have thought possible.
I'm sad that I never got to meet the Duke of Edinburgh himself, though I was in Buckingham Palace Gardens at the same time as him, collecting my Gold in 2016. I know this wonderful scheme he founded has changed my life for the better, and I know it will continue to change lives for many, many more years to come.
Rest easy, Sir. You led an incredible life.