HRH The Duke of Edinburgh welcomes 700 Gold DofE Award holders to the Gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
Around 700 Gold DofE Award holders were guests of honour in the Gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse as HRH The Duke of Edinburgh hosted a celebration of their extraordinary achievements.
Article Source: Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Last Updated: 7 July 2023 14:47
• Young people's achievements recognised by The Duke of Edinburgh in his first Gold Award celebration in Scotland as the charity’s Patron.
• Celebrity supporters Aldo Kane, JJ Chalmers, Shirley Henderson, Mark Beaumont, Laura Young and Jimmy Lee shared their inspiring stories.
• Local radio presenter and DJ Garry Spence interviewed attendees about their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) journey and heard their fantastic achievements.
• The celebrations come as a record-breaking 20,626 young people started their DofE in Scotland alone last year.
Thursday 6 July 2023: Around 700 Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award holders were guests of honour in the Gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse today, along with their loved ones, as HRH The Duke of Edinburgh hosted a very special celebration of their extraordinary achievements.
The celebrations recognised young people who have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and resilience to complete their Gold DofE in schools, community organisations, youth groups and workplaces, all over the UK.
The Gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse were transformed into a festival-style celebration for young people and their loved ones, with giant deckchairs, bunting, and garden games and activities. Attendees had the chance to hear from famous DofE Award holders, sporting legends and international adventurers, and pick up career advice from actors, presenters, influencers, and world record holders, at stages throughout the Gardens.
This celebration saw The Duke of Edinburgh – who received his own Gold Award from his father Prince Philip in 1986 – congratulated attendees and met Award holders, hearing about the positive impact their DofE has had on them.
World record-setting adventurer and Silver DofE Award holder Aldo Kane delivered an inspiring speech, alongside 19-year-old Clare McVey from the Motherwell open group in North Lanarkshire, celebrating her own Gold Award achievement today – who told attendees how doing her DofE made her more confident, taught her to trust her capabilities and made her realise that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
Reflecting on his own DofE journey, Aldo Kane said to attendees: "I know that your Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award will stand you in great stead for the future. You’ve learned the skill of self-sufficiency. The ability to have courage in your own convictions – and to act on them.
“The spirit of adventure, first stoked by the DofE, is still very much alive in me and I know I’ll keep it burning until the day I die. The spirit of the DofE is about making decisions and acting on them. Trust me when I say that by making decisions and following them through, we can very often dig ourselves out of adverse situations.
“Taking action is the key to transforming dreams into reality. It's easy to get lost in a sea of possibilities and what-ifs, but true growth and success come from taking that first step, no matter how small it may seem. Don't wait for the perfect moment or for all the stars to align. Start now, start where you are, and start with what you have.”
Ruth Marvel, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “A Gold DofE Award is a remarkable achievement. Many young people attending today have overcome their own challenges to make it here – all of them have shown huge perseverance and self-belief, and gained skills and memories to last a lifetime. They should all be incredibly proud.
“We’re grateful to The Duke of Edinburgh for hosting young people this week The Duke passionately believes that all young people have the potential to achieve incredible things given the right support and opportunities. Under HRH’s patronage, we’ll keep working to give as many young people as possible the chance to do their DofE and, hopefully, find themselves celebrating this amazing achievement in years to come.”
“Extraordinary motivation”
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity recently announced record-breaking participation numbers, with 32,846 young people actively taking part in Scotland in 2022/23, and 20,626 starting their DofE. In Scotland, participants contributed an astonishing 239,265 hours of volunteering, equivalent to £1 million in paid working hours.
As young people navigate the after-effects of the pandemic, along with a mental health and cost-of-living crisis, access to opportunities for personal development beyond the classroom, like the DofE, are vital to help them discover new talents and passions, build their resilience and self-belief and give them skills employers value – like teamwork, problem-solving and leadership.
The DofE charity is working to make sure all young people have the chance to take part – particularly those who might face barriers, like young people living in poverty or who have additional needs.
A Gold DofE programme is a non-competitive personal challenge, open to all young people, which takes a minimum of 12 months to complete. Young people build their own programmes with activities in five sections – Physical, Skills, Volunteering, a five-day Residential and a four-day Expedition.
Photo credit – Alastair Wilson and Brian Cunliffe
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