The expeditions for bronze, silver and gold brought me out into nature in a way that was new and raw, and taught me that I could rely on my map reading, compass and my companions in remote places.

It was the D of E trip to India in 1989 that transformed my life completely. Thanks to that visit, I came face to face with poverty unimagined, was confronted with a culture so different, and was embraced by yet unknown frontiers of hospitality.

I returned with resolve return to India, for a gap year. The impressions never left me, having finished my studies and early years of work, I embraced a journey in international development - in water in sub-Saharan Africa. I am still doing that today - still astounded by the poverty that should not be, still confronted over and over with cultures diverse and still being embraced by tremendous hospitality. Still trying to play my small part in striving for a better world - for everyone.

I thank the late Prince Philip for opening a door that I may never have walked through otherwise - in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. At such an impressionable and, looking back, vulnerable age, the D of E was instrumental helping me to find my way, not just in the hills of Scotland, but in the wider world and in finding my purpose.