I started my Bronze award back in the late 1960's through school and teamed up with a new group of friends that went on to do Silver and Gold together. One of my strongest memories was one of our group had just passed his driving test so we drove up from Kent to the Lake District in the afternoon after sitting our last A level exam (Practical Physics I think) in the morning to undertake our last task - the expedition! In those days we were essentially unsupervised and 'wild' camped each night which was an entirely new experience for me, one I continued into adulthood.

Another very fond memory was during a practice expedition when we were in Snowdonia. After our walk we all sat round a campfire and decided to have a sing-a-long - only to be joined after a while by an officer from the local constabulary who asked us if we could sing more quietly!

I can only thank the late Duke and his team for the inspiration and support provided by such a wonderful organisation for the life changing experiences and opportunities the DoE gave me. When my (now adult) children had the opportunity to engage with the scheme I shared my stories and experiences with them and they all joined up! My eldest completed his Gold a few years ago, another in just finishing his Gold and my daughter completed her Bronze. I am sure they will all encourage any children they have to also participate as they too all have incredibly strong and happy memories of their DoE experience!

Thank You from the bottom of my heart for the opportunities the DoE scheme gave me, some of the skills learnt (Camping, first aid, physical fitness, patience and perseverance) have stayed with me all my life. Most of all it taught me not to quit when life gets tough; you will get through and succeed.