By Miss Sadler (DofE Bronze Coordinator)

Congratulations to all the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) students and alumnae who received their Gold Award at Buckingham Palace on Friday 19th May.

The event was hosted by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and took place in the beautiful gardens of Buckingham Palace. The award holders had the opportunity to listen to talks by inspirational speakers such as Charlotte Hawkins, Vick Hope, Susannah Townsend, Dwayne Fields, Katherine Kelly, Andrea Spendelini Siriex, Jill Scott, and others. They were also able to enjoy the garden surroundings, participate in garden games and activities, and make the most of the special day.

Earning the Gold Award is a significant achievement for these young people as it signifies the successful completion of four sections of the award: physical, volunteering, skill, and residential. Completing the Gold award requires a minimum of 12 months, demonstrating the dedication and commitment of these young individuals. Read more about timescales on the DofE website here. 

Natasha Pennington (Upper Sixth) shares her experience of the day: “On Friday 19th May, I was invited to attend the Gold award celebration event at Buckingham Palace Gardens. I received my official invitation through the post from the Duke of Edinburgh himself (now Prince Edward) along with my golden brooch and a letter from Prince Edward talking about how many life skills the Duke of Edinburgh award equips you with.

“On the day itself, there were several guest speakers including Jill Scott MBE who is a former England professional footballer and a young boy aged 18 from Lancaster who spoke about his own DofE experience and how the award scheme had helped him with his apprenticeship. The Duke of Edinburgh also walked around talking to us all and asked us if we do the whole award again! He was very friendly and interested in everyone’s different experiences. The whole day was thoroughly enjoyable and it was a great pleasure and a privilege to be invited into the gardens of Buckingham Palace. It’s definitely a day I will remember for life!”

A huge congratulations to all our Gold Award recipients - Harriet Benjamin (Upper Sixth), Natasha Pennington (Upper Sixth), Emily Perry (Upper Sixth), Molly Barker (BGS 2022), Masha Ermakova (BGS 2022), Charlotte Forbes-Laird (BGS 2021) and Isabella Iacono (BGS 2019). View a gallery of photos here.

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