News

On Monday the 27th February, we celebrated the achievements of 84 students who have achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award. This is the first cohort since the Covid pandemic to have a full expedition and to experience D of E in the way it should be done! 

The award includes months of commitment in the three different sections of physical, skill and volunteering, as well as an expedition. It provides opportunities to build confidence and take on new challenges. The students have contributed over 1,000 hours of their time volunteering in our community. All our students have displayed excellent resilience throughout some testing times and experienced an expedition, in which they were able to safely navigate out of the campsite, walk in the beautiful Chiltern countryside and cook up some very interesting meals on a portable gas stove! 

We are so pleased that 34 of this cohort will be taking on the challenge of their silver level award. We are incredibly proud of our students and their hard work and commitment; below are some of their comments on the experience.

“DofE - what an experience, a once in a lifetime opportunity that will benefit you for the rest of your life. It is an experience I would highly recommend allowing you to bond with friends, create new memories and of course gain your Duke of Edinburgh award. You will go to a new area, walk on a pre-planned route and have a great time chatting with your mates. Along with the actual expedition you have to complete your skills, physical and volunteering. These all allow you to gain extra skills and knowledge. For me, the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme has helped me gain navigational skills, better communication with a team and perseverance. “ Jamie Wilkinson

“I personally loved the DofE experience as it opened my eyes to exploration and adventure. It was a great feeling going with my friends and exploring the vastness of nature. What was even better is that I gained skills of map reading and coordination on my expedition. The best part was the cooking: watching my friends struggle to light a match to light the gas. Thankfully, we managed and feasted on nice food. Moreover, the experience of sleeping in a tent was quite fun as it made you feel like an actual adventurer in the wilderness. However, I barely got any sleep! Lastly, the trekking was probably the most tiring and gruelling thing I’ve ever done, since it was extremely long. At the end of it, I ended up coming back home with a dead left shoulder, blistered feet and a hunched back (thanks to the tank-sized backpack). But even with all the struggles I faced, I got past them and enjoyed my time.” Ishaaq Rather

“During my Bronze DofE experience, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it. I particularly enjoyed the camping part of the expedition, where we had to pitch our own tents and cook our own meals. It was exciting to work as a team to set up our campsite and make sure everything was in order. I loved the feeling of independence and self-sufficiency that came with camping, and it was a great opportunity to disconnect from technology and appreciate the beauty of nature around us. The sense of accomplishment after successfully completing each leg of the expedition was also incredibly rewarding. Overall, I found the Bronze DofE experience to be challenging yet enjoyable and memorable, and I would definitely do it again for the silver award.”
Anesh Senthilprabu

“An extremely memorable experience which has allowed me to gain some vital skills in terms of navigation and survival. It is also a great way to create memories with your clueless friends, such as getting lost on a golf course for over an hour, but also giving you another perspective of how to be self-reliant and enjoying the journey for what it is rather than relying heavily on technology.” Amaan Mubrarak