Mr Ellis (Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Manager)

The Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) expedition season is now fully underway, a fact confirmed by the sight of BGS Silver participants successfully navigating their way through the Chiltern Hills last weekend. At Silver, the expedition takes the form of a three day, two-night challenge where the participants have to be fully self-sufficient.

During the day, the girls’ map reading and compass work are tested, along with the ability to successfully operate and contribute within a team environment.

Once the campsite is reached, it’s camp-craft skills that come to the fore with a group’s ability to demonstrate concurrent activities, so whilst some in the group are building the tents, others are readying the stove and preparing food for the evening meal.

It was fantastic to see staff who volunteered sharing the vast amount of knowledge they have between them on all things outdoors and DofE.