After twelve to eighteen months of hard work ranging from volunteering, skills development, a physical activity, a weeks residential and a long assessed expedition on Dartmoor, three students and one of their parents met with Mr Burchell at Buckingham Palace to attend a garden party to celebrate their passing of the Gold DofE programme.
The Duke of Edinburgh addressed the guests with support from Paralympic athlete Tammy Grey Thompson and other invited speakers. The gardens were beautiful, and the parents and students spent the morning enjoying the royal gardens and military bands who entertained the crowds with traditional and contemporary music.
The event rounded off the exceptional efforts the students had made and entered them into a very small and elite group of people who now hold a Gold DofE award. As the Prince said, “The award is not a recognition of who you are today but instead it is a recognition of what you can become.”
A fitting comment to end a fantastic day.
