D of E Gold Awards
On Monday 17 November eight OEs and their parents visited St. James’s Palace to be presented with their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
The eight young people enjoyed two hours in the sumptuous private banqueting rooms of the palace and were congratulated and entertained by broadcaster and survival expert Ray Mears before meeting HRH the Earl of Wessex, to share stories of their gold award experience.
The former pupils were celebrated by all present for their incredible accomplishment – all had achieved the five parts of their award showing commitment over several years; completing a residential course, an expedition in wild country, a physical activity, learning a new skill and volunteering to help others.
Pictured above outside St. James’s Palace after the ceremony are Amy Keating (Blackwater), John Dowling (Gonville), Abigail East (Watt), Kate Corfield (Watt) Rachel Williams (Watt), Lewis Webber (Reeves), Millie Harriott (Blackwater) and Alex Hodges (Gonville).
This photograph shows Ray Mears during the D of E presentation with some of the Eastbourne College award recipients – (left to right) Lewis Webber, Alex Hodges, Camilla Harriott and Abigail East.
Mr Mears commented to the recipients, “Your Gold Award is a personal journey, you’ve learnt so much about yourselves. Today, you’ve all succeeded and created the most amazing foundations for your future lives. A Gold DofE Award is a tick in the box for your career – what you do with it is your challenge now. We need you, you will shape our futures as well as your own.”
