My DofE journey (so far at least) has been quite challenging, it was almost halted completely by the Covid-19 pandemic, however thanks to the support and adaptability of the charity I have achieved my Bronze achievement award, with my Silver underway already.

I've definitely enjoyed my somewhat modified DofE experience, it's a rewarding activity to fill my (sometimes a bit dull) weekends. Although, if I had to pick a DofE story it would have to be the cooking competition (practising for our expedition) we got to complete before the pandemic got involved (and to be frank; ruined everything):

It was a hilarious mix of overwhelming confidence slowly deteriorating to pure desperation, with an ending result of pretty much anarchy. The food definitely sounded good on paper and apparently tasted good, but it's appearance was interesting at best. We came 2nd in the end, which I still hold onto today.

It is these wonderfully imperfect experiences and the challenges associated, that creates the magic of the DofE award. These I'm sad to say I didn't get to experience in their entirety.

For these experiences, I thank and pay tribute to the fantastic work of the Duke of Edinburgh and his charity. Their work gave me memorable experience, strengthened existing relationships and development unexpected new ones. I look forward to continuing my journey in the more normal circumstances to come.