My experience of DofE started when my teacher set up a group at school. My expedition was one that I won't ever forget. It rained non-stop the second we left until we returned the next day. It wasn't even a light drizzle, but torrential rain. Nothing in my bag was dry except the food. We arrived at camp and it was just getting dark and we were desperate to eat, which was bolognese. It was exactly what we needed after a long day. Sleeping wasn't something I had a lot of that night and I remember waking up at about 4 am and I got out of my tent and sat watching the sky. I looked at the stars and just loved being out in the open with no light pollution and being able to see the sunrise behind the trees. It is something I would never have experienced if I had not completed DofE.

For my skills, I learned British Sign Language (BSL). I absolutely loved every second of it and learned how to communicate in a completely different way that I wasn't used to. I also was able to make friends with an entire community of deaf people and others who were learning it with me. I remain in contact with them now and it is a skill that is so unusual to have and was all thanks to DofE.

I have started my Silver and very much looking forward to doing my Gold. I hope that in the future young people continue to take up the challenge and remember what HRH Prince Phillip created for us to explore and achieve.