Monday 13 May was a special day for students Sean Walker, Emille Scott, Josh Richards, Matthew Skillen and Shania Jones who were invited to attend a special Duke of Edinburgh ceremony at Buckingham Palace to collect their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
The students, who recently graduated from the College, were presented with their certificates by Rudolph Walker OBE (an actor best known for his role in EastEnders), before being joined by the Princess Royal who took the time to speak with all of the participants.
Founded by The Duke of Edinburgh, in 1956, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) is the world's leading youth achievement award that develops over 400,000 young people for life and work every year in the UK.
The awards celebrate the achievements of young people who have achieved the Gold Award, which takes 12 months to complete.
The DofE has a positive impact on young people’s lives, in terms of their personal development and employability, and on wider society, from charities gaining active and engaged volunteers to businesses hiring work-ready recruits. The award recognises work in five different areas including: volunteering, physical achievement, practical skills and undertaking a shared activity in a residential setting away from home.
Mr Robert Foster, Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator, said: “It was an absolute privilege to attend Buckingham Palace and witness several of our former students collect their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards in the presence of royalty. Each of them has shown a huge amount of determination and commitment in completing this award and I have no doubt that they all have a very successful future ahead of them.
He added: “There were also two former students who were unable to attend the presentations, so I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all five of our Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award recipients who are Sean Walker, Emille Scott, Josh Richards, Matthew Skillen and Shania Jones. Well Done!”
