My Duke of Edinburgh was really amazing. It was hard but such an incredibly worthwhile experience. I completed the Bronze and the Gold award. Both of these awards have had a huge impact on my life. During my bronze award at age 14, I started volunteering for the amazing Paul Sartori Foundation in the charity shop. 9 years later I am a voting member for the charity. I would not have volunteered without the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. For my skill for Bronze, I chose to learn to play Bridge and as a result of this, I have represented Wales under 20s and Wales under 25s in Bridge competitions. I have played Bridge across the Uk and I have even been to European Championships in Norway. Also if I didn't know how to play Bridge then I would never have met my boyfriend.
My sport for the Bronze award was cycling. This led to me completing the CarTen 100 mile cycle ride, 10 months after major knee surgery. I also raised £800 in the process which was split between two charities very close to my heart - Paul Sartori Foundation and Ty Hafan.
My Gold Duke of Edinburgh was another amazing experience. The expedition was the stand-out memory of this for me. It was so hard walking for 13 hours a day sometimes. I made new friends as I completed it with people I had never met before. The wildlife was amazing - we even saw a pair of golden eagles flying overhead.
All of these experiences would not have happened without the Duke of Edinburgh award.
I was also lucky enough to go to London for my award where I met the Duke of Edinburgh. He turned to the parents and asked if any of them had done their award. My mam said she had and he asked where her badge was, and she replied that she couldn't find it. He said to her "I thought you were just keeping it for special occasions".
Thank you so much, HRH for every opportunity that you have given to young people. I will always be thankful to you.
RIP HRH.