The Residential and hike was the highlight of my Duke of Edinburgh Gold experience. We stayed in an old hunting lodge that was right on the border between Northern and Southern Ireland. The conditions were very basic and emptying the chemical toilet was one of our many responsibilities. We hiked across the border into Donegal. This was quite an adventurous thing to do in the late sixties in Northern Ireland. We were also a very mixed group. We met people from different religions that we would normally not have encountered in our daily lives at a Protestant grammar school. For the hike I wore a pair of boots borrowed from the boy who lived next door. There were no such things as hiking boots in those days. The boots were much too big for me and caused many blisters. Each evening when we reached the next campsite our leader checked our feet, burst my blisters and patched me up! His name was Mr Marshall. He was probably in his late thirties but to teenagers like us he seemed very old. He was one of the most supportive and positive people I have ever met. He encouraged us to carry on despite the pain and discomfort and told us not to underestimate our abilities. I learned so much from his encouragement that I applied to my future career as a special needs teacher. We were challenged in many ways during the hike and Residential and I believe that rising to these challenges has stood me in good stead for the rest of my life. The Duke of Edinburgh Award is one of the best things I have done during my seventy years of life.