A Level students from Shrewsbury Colleges Group picked up Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards at Buckingham Palace – something only 10% of those who set out to start it actually achieve.
Eight former students from SCG received their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards from Paralympian and TV presenter, Sean Rose, after Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, heard many of the success stories.
Those who achieve a Gold DofE Award will volunteer, learn a skill, get fit, take part in a week long residential and plan and undertake an expedition in wild country. This can take 12-18 months of hard work and dedication. Widely acknowledged as the world’s leading achievement award for young people, DofE programmes enable any young person, aged 14-24, to develop key skills for life and work, such as confidence, commitment and team working.
Henry Tay, Carl Evans, Jessica Clarkson, Thomas Gould, Ifan George, Gregor Barker, Robbie Jowett and Thomas Emery were the former SCG students that earned their trip to Buckingham Palace – one of the largest groups the College has had attend. They volunteered with charities, helped the College football team win the league, learnt how to crochet, did a residential with National Trust Scotland looking at wildlife and footpath conservation and many more amazing activities.
Speaking of his DofE experience, Gregor Baker, who studied Biology, Physics and Mathematics A Levels; achieving two As and a B in 2018 said: “I decided to do the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award because it is a great achievement to put on your CV and helps you stand out to future employers – also my Dad completed his Gold DofE many years ago and I thought it would be fun to do the same.”
Gregor, who has just finished his first year studying Air Transport Management with Commercial Pilot Training at Bucks New University added: “Going to Buckingham Palace was a once in a lifetime experience for me. The speech from Sean Rose was inspiring and I saw loads of famous faces whilst milling around the gardens.
“College staff were awesome in helping us to get through the expedition phases and kept us motivated. They devoted a lot of their time to help us with paperwork and submissions – I am very thankful for that. In fact, teachers were great throughout my whole time at SCG. The College had a calm and relaxed atmosphere that helped me focus on my studies.”
There are currently over 300,000 young people taking part in a DofE programme across the UK through a variety of centres including both state and independent schools, special schools, businesses, prisons, young offender institutions and youth groups.
To find out more about courses at Shrewsbury Colleges Group come along to an Advice Event on July 5 or call 01743 342333