DofE participants from Richmond School and Sixth Form College welcome Conservative Party Leader Rishi Sunak

Young people from Richmond School and Sixth Form College welcomed Rishi Sunak MP who shared the positive impact that doing their DofE has had on them.

The MP for Richmond and Northallerton visited the school in North Yorkshire which has been running the DofE for over 10 years, where he met with staff and students and had a crash course in map reading and how to safely use a Trangia.

Richmond School and Sixth Form College has supported over 500 young people to start a DofE Award. This year, 64 young people started their Bronze Award, undertaking a wide range of activities, giving back to their communities through volunteering and planning for their Expedition, which will take place in the Swaledale area. Over the past year alone, participants from the school have collectively given 100 hours of voluntary service to local and wider rural communities.

During the visit, Rishi Sunak supported DofE participants to erect tents and make hot chocolate using a Trangia – equipment they use on their Expedition. Young people also spoke about the activities they did for their Physical and Volunteering sections which included volunteering at Richmond Park Run, scanning barcodes and marshalling the route. Rishi Sunak told the pupils that he and his family enjoyed taking part in local park runs.

Katie who is doing their Bronze DofE at Richmond School and Sixth Form College, said: “I thought I was resilient but DofE really highlighted how resilient I really am.

“It’s great Mr Sunak has visited us to see what the DofE is all about and understand it from our perspective. I enjoyed telling him about my volunteering which I do in our local area. It’s good that he came to see what skills we have learnt through doing our DofE.”

Fellow student Leah, said: “The DofE allowed us to form friendships with people in our year at school who we haven’t had to work with before. This has helped with our schoolwork but also built lasting relationships between us all.”

Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP for Richmond and Northallerton, said: “I was delighted to meet with young people doing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Richmond School and Sixth Form College.

“It was truly inspiring to hear about their DofE journey as well as get involved with a few DofE activities myself. I am incredibly proud of the young people in our community for pushing themselves to the next level by participating in the Award – by doing so, they are preparing themselves for life beyond the classroom by developing skills for work that employers truly value.”

Jenna Potter, Headteacher at Richmond School and Sixth Form College, said: “We were delighted to be able to give our students the opportunity to showcase the skills they had learned through The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme, when Rishi Sunak came to visit our school last week.

“The Award is increasingly popular amongst our students and take up numbers are high. Our students really enjoy the challenges they face and they especially appreciate learning new skills in the beautiful setting of Swaledale.”

Helen Cook, Operations Manager, for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “It was a pleasure to see the pupils and staff at Richmond School and Sixth Form College demonstrate to Rishi Sunak MP first-hand, how life-changing the DofE can be for young people in his constituency.

“Every year the DofE charity inspires hundreds of thousands of young people, from all walks of life, to explore who they are, grow in confidence, build resilience and develop the skills for the future. The difference young people here in North Yorkshire, and right across the UK, are making through their Award, really is incredible.’’