As a young woman living in a poor northern mill town in the sixties ,the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme provided life-changing opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities and experiences.I was then invited to Buckingham Palace to be presented to the Duke of Edinburgh.This was such a privilege and a very treasured memory.It is with the greatest respect ,gratitude and deeply felt sympathy that I pay tribute to a remarkable man and offer my sincere condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family.