I remember moving back to Scotland in 1996 and meeting an incredible guy Alex Pettigrew who asked me to volunteer with the Irvine DofE Group in North Ayrshire, ‘it’s only 2hrs on a Wednesday night!’

25 yrs later I’ve now been working with the Charity for over 10 years, have met and worked with thousands of amazing young people and volunteers and gained more experiences that ‘a lad from the village’ could have ever imagined

The friends I’ve made through the DofE and youth services are my
Mainstay in life and my personal highlights of supporting young people with disabilities, be they social, physical, learning or emotional to develop their skills and experiences has just been incredible. It’s selfish, but I really do enjoy seeing the looks on their faces as they achieve their sections and full awards.

The last time I saw The Duke was at GAP Holyrood 2017, when he emerged from a group, looked at me with a smile on his face and said ‘you still here then!!’

The photo is from a canoe expedition for a Gold group of young people who have additional needs paddling on Loch Lomond https://youtu.be/ySfY5-OF5G4