Every year, the scores of Windsor and Maidenhead young people who complete any of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards are invited to a celebration evening held at the Maidenhead Town Hall. There, each group leader gives a short speech about the expedition undertaken by their group, before the mayor formally presents each participant with their certificate.
This evening, I was given my Bronze Award in recognition for my weekly volunteering at Furze Platt Cubs, my physical effort at Maidenhead Marlins Swimming Club, and my skill in completing my Grade Five Clarinet exam. Obviously, in addition to that, there was also the expedition element, which I completed in June.
During the ceremony, both the film I made of the adventure and the music video Jake made whilst in the boat were played on the big screen. For me, it was tremendous to have such a large audience enjoying the video I’d slaved away over for hours, and great for everybody to be laughing at "the couscous incident"!
What now for me and DofE? It’s straight on to Silver, of course! That will see me and most of my original comrades completing a three-day (two-night) expedition, with more in all three areas (physical, volunteering, and skill) beforehand. I say bring on the challenge!
