Royal Mail apprentice Jack achieves his Gold Award

“I had wanted to do my DofE at school – all my friends were doing it – but there wasn’t a big enough group at my school so they cut the programme. I was disappointed, as I had always been a big fan of the outdoors and I knew that the DofE could make a big difference to employers, but at the time there was nothing I could do. When I found out I could do my DofE through Royal Mail as part of my apprenticeship, I signed up straight away.

When I was at school, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Being dyslexic can take its toll on your confidence, which can have a knock on effect on other parts of your life. Through my DofE, each achievement helped me grow in confidence and bond with people who I worked with on a professional level. The challenges I’ve taken on and worked through have meant a lot, and I’m still challenging myself today. Last year for my Diamond Challenge I climbed Snowdon with my father, and this year we’re getting stuck in again and are torn between Ben Nevis and Scafell.

Doing my DofE has had a really positive impact on both my mental and physical wellbeing and it is absolutely brilliant that Royal Mail offers this opportunity as part of their training programme. It is so important for young people to have opportunities to achieve things – being able to build confidence is key for everything else in life.”