Linda Wayman (nee Wren)
I started the Bronze in 1970 and progressed through the scheme. Looking back, receiving my Gold was like being given a passport to a life of adventure.
At a local reception, Cliff Richard presented our Gold badges; after shaking his hand, I said I’d never wash mine again... As the evening finished, Cliff produced his guitar and sang Congratulations; for the official photograph, I stood next to him!
On my CV under ‘Interests’, I’ve always proudly included the DofE. In my first, permanent job, I was appointed as a Teacher of Textiles and leader of the Award Scheme; had the interviewing panel been swayed by my involvement in the scheme?
From student accommodation, I moved to a bed sit in a new area of the country; joining the Oxford ‘Old Gold’s Group’, I quickly made friends with like minded people. Social events were numerous and it was rewarding giving back to the scheme and the local ‘community’.
In 1981, the scheme’s 25th Anniversary, I attended the Thanksgiving Service in St Paul’s Cathedral. From an Upper School in Oxford, I took a packed minibus to the ‘Celebration Day’ at RAF Alconbury. Leaders provided a wide range of activities for award participants to sample. In the afternoon, the Duke dropped in by helicopter and toured the site. He stopped to chat and showed great interest in my patchwork display and the students busily trying out the technique.
In the summer of 1982, I was among 20 Gold Award holders who relished a three week trip to the Bahamas. Stopping over in Florida allowed us to meet Mickey Mouse in Disney World! In the Bahamas, hosted by families involved in the scheme, we saw the sights, tasted the high life, and in a poor area of the island, repainted the Hardecker Children’s Clinic.
In those early days, participation in the scheme led me to become a life member of the Youth Hostel Association. In 1982 I moved to Cambridge and joined the YHAs local group; there I met Martin, my husband.
At a local reception, Cliff Richard presented our Gold badges; after shaking his hand, I said I’d never wash mine again... As the evening finished, Cliff produced his guitar and sang Congratulations; for the official photograph, I stood next to him!
On my CV under ‘Interests’, I’ve always proudly included the DofE. In my first, permanent job, I was appointed as a Teacher of Textiles and leader of the Award Scheme; had the interviewing panel been swayed by my involvement in the scheme?
From student accommodation, I moved to a bed sit in a new area of the country; joining the Oxford ‘Old Gold’s Group’, I quickly made friends with like minded people. Social events were numerous and it was rewarding giving back to the scheme and the local ‘community’.
In 1981, the scheme’s 25th Anniversary, I attended the Thanksgiving Service in St Paul’s Cathedral. From an Upper School in Oxford, I took a packed minibus to the ‘Celebration Day’ at RAF Alconbury. Leaders provided a wide range of activities for award participants to sample. In the afternoon, the Duke dropped in by helicopter and toured the site. He stopped to chat and showed great interest in my patchwork display and the students busily trying out the technique.
In the summer of 1982, I was among 20 Gold Award holders who relished a three week trip to the Bahamas. Stopping over in Florida allowed us to meet Mickey Mouse in Disney World! In the Bahamas, hosted by families involved in the scheme, we saw the sights, tasted the high life, and in a poor area of the island, repainted the Hardecker Children’s Clinic.
In those early days, participation in the scheme led me to become a life member of the Youth Hostel Association. In 1982 I moved to Cambridge and joined the YHAs local group; there I met Martin, my husband.
