Emily Fell
I absolutely loved completing the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. I’m a bronze, silver and gold award holder, and although I am very proud of the fact that I completed all three, I think the that the memories I hold and the friends I made are the aspects of it that I hold most dear.
Our silver award took place during foot and mouth and so our routes were very restricted and we ended up walking a lot of the West Highland Way in Scotland so it didn’t require a lot of map reading skills, however, there was one point when the examiner caught up with us and it was the only section in ages where we weren’t on a path and he asked us to point out where we were on the map! Well, myself and my friend Lucy just looked at each other, gulped and pointed to where we thought we were! Turns out we were pretty close so the examiner was satisfied and left us to it! I also remember that the Travis song ‘Why does it always rain on me’ was the theme tune to our silver expedition!!
Our gold expedition was tough and by the end of it we were all shattered. But the sense of achievement and camaraderie amongst our little group was one of the best feelings. We’d accomplished a feat that wasn’t easy, wasn't completed by many, but was most definitely worth every minute.
The expeditions were my favourite aspects of the awards but completing the skills and the community service was a challenge and it gave you valuable life skills.
The awards definitely shaped my personality and character into what it is today, almost 20 years later.
I hope that many more young people take part in the award scheme and that the legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh is remembered every time a badge is given out. I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 awards, and yes some parts were tough, there were tears, hunger, longing for a normal toilet and bed, but I would highly recommend the experience to young people today.
Thank you HRH Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh for all my fabulous memories.
Our silver award took place during foot and mouth and so our routes were very restricted and we ended up walking a lot of the West Highland Way in Scotland so it didn’t require a lot of map reading skills, however, there was one point when the examiner caught up with us and it was the only section in ages where we weren’t on a path and he asked us to point out where we were on the map! Well, myself and my friend Lucy just looked at each other, gulped and pointed to where we thought we were! Turns out we were pretty close so the examiner was satisfied and left us to it! I also remember that the Travis song ‘Why does it always rain on me’ was the theme tune to our silver expedition!!
Our gold expedition was tough and by the end of it we were all shattered. But the sense of achievement and camaraderie amongst our little group was one of the best feelings. We’d accomplished a feat that wasn’t easy, wasn't completed by many, but was most definitely worth every minute.
The expeditions were my favourite aspects of the awards but completing the skills and the community service was a challenge and it gave you valuable life skills.
The awards definitely shaped my personality and character into what it is today, almost 20 years later.
I hope that many more young people take part in the award scheme and that the legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh is remembered every time a badge is given out. I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 awards, and yes some parts were tough, there were tears, hunger, longing for a normal toilet and bed, but I would highly recommend the experience to young people today.
Thank you HRH Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh for all my fabulous memories.
