22 young people from Annan Academy, Dalbeattie High School, Lockerbie Academy, Stranraer Academy and the Cairnsmore Open DofE Centre in Newton Stewart attended a presentation at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh to receive their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Having heard about the experiences of those receiving their awards, which take each person around 12 to 18 months of hard work and dedication, the Trustee for the awards, HRH The Earl of Wessex, congratulated the Dumfries and Galloway group.
The awards were presented by celebrities, including Alastair Kellock, Scottish Rugby Ambassador, and Toni Blackhurst, Head of Marketing and Commercial Partnerships for Scottish Rugby.
Those who achieve a Gold DofE Award have volunteered, learned a skill, got fit, taken part in a week long residential, and planned and undertaken an expedition in wild country.
Widely acknowledged as the world’s leading achievement award for young people, the DofE programme
enables any young person, aged 14 to 24, to develop key skills for life and work, including confidence, commitment and team working.
In a joint statement, Councillor Jeff Leaver, chair of the Children, Young People and Lifelong Learning committee, and Councillor Ros Surtees, vice-chair, said: “Providing the best start in life for all our children is a priority for our Council and we’re proud to support the aspirations and achievements of our young people. To see so many from our region successfully complete such a challenging award is fantastic. The perseverance and commitment shown to complete this award is not to be underestimated and they should be rightfully proud of their achievements.”
Speaking about his DofE experience, Ruari Smith, Gold Award recipient, said: “Through taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, our group has managed to set up a legacy through our volunteering activities to reduce Annan Academy’s carbon footprint, a group of 1st year pupils to carry on our work. I have learned how to use the best traits of every member of a team for everyone’s benefit. I prefer to make decisions myself but the main thing I have learned from DofE is how to accept, and apply decisions made by others and to accept that, if a decision is made by a group, the people involved will better apply themselves to delivering the solution. This is a valuable lesson to take into my future life.”
There are currently over 300,000 young people taking part in a DofE programme across the UK through a variety of centres, including state and independent schools, special schools, businesses, prisons, young offender institutions, and youth groups.
To find out more about the DofE and how it enables young people to succeed, see www.DofE.org
Photo attached
Gold Award recipients from Dumfries and Galloway at the Palace of Holyroodhouse with Dumfries and Galloway Council Chief Executive Gavin Stevenson and Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Wider Achievment Worker Gary Kirkpatrick.
Charlotte Stubbs, Danielle McAnespie, Ruari Smith, Amy Moore, Dominic Taylor, Sarah Crichton, Arran Hastie, Imogen Cook, Emily Woodhouse, Lucy Kirkpatrick, Benjamin Harrop, Michael Brown, Lucy Fisher, Emma Robinson, Rose Nash, Jack McClymont, Charles Birdsall, James Howie, Katherine Malone, Lucy Miller, Rachael McCurry, Catriona Tossnie.
