RECENTLY, a number of our finest Scouts were invited to Buckingham Palace for a Garden Party.

The scouts invited had all achieved the Gold standard in their Duke of Edinburgh awards.

Here we feature Jack, Emily and Frank. They tell us what they did for their award.

Well done to you all. We are sure, everyone is proud of you.

Frank Reeves

I chose to take up long distance running for my physical section, improving both my speed and my distance.

For the volunteering section, I helped as an usher at the Harlow Playhouse for a year.

As for the skill, I taught myself the banjo.

I spent the week residential away with the group NCS, who offer affordable courses for young people.

Finally, for the expedition, we canoed down the River Severn for 4 days. I am incredibly grateful to the DofE programme for allowing me to have these experiences and to form so many great memories and skills.

Jack

I completed my Dofe Gold expedition with a group of friends from my secondary school, Passmores back in 2017. Instead of the traditional hiking, we decided we would Canoe using Chris Davies Adventure. We paddled the River Wye near Herefordshire including passing through the rapids at Symonds Yat.

Each day involved paddling around 35km of river, putting up and down tents, cooking meals, loading barrels, launching boats and starting all over again.

The Dofe award however is not just about the expedition.

The other key elements are:
Volunteering: I have been a long-standing volunteer as a Cub Leader at 2″ Great Parndon Scout group in Harlow, providing adventurous activities and life skills to 8-10-year-olds.

Skill: At the time, I used learning to drive as my new skill, spaced over a 12-month period.

Physical: My physical element was achieved through cycling, 2-3 times a week around Lee Valley and Epping Forest for six months.

Residential: My residential trip was to Buitenzorg in Holland for 5 days, where I spent time with others I didn’t know, visiting Waterparks, museums, zoo’s, Amsterdam and surrounding areas.

From completing my D of E, I have gained:

A passion for volunteering and providing valuable experiences for young people
Skills to adapt and overcome hurdles

Perseverance in the things I want to achieve

Emily Webber

My Gold DofE was an incredible experience. For my volunteering, I continued my role as a Cub Scout leader for the 2nd Great Parndon pack.

I organised and lead lots of fun sessions for the cubs involving activities which would help them achieve badges.

I’m proud to see many of them going on to achieve the highest award at their age – the chief scout award.

My leading hasn’t stopped there.. I’m still going almost 5 years later after leaving Scouts myself. It has definitely brought me out of my shell and developed my ability to look after children from knowing how to make them happy but also some discipline when it’s needed!

Without DofE, I’m not sure if I would have put in as much effort as I have done in the past few years. My experience clearly shows that DofE is more than just an award, it’s a lifestyle. I’ve used what I have learnt into how I help out still today.

For my physical section, I attended the gym. I set myself some goals including the weight I could lift. I was particularly focused on my lower body strength and was so proud that I could rep a 100kg on my hips! It was so nice that I could set a routine and see my progress each week. I started off struggling with 25kg so it shows that with correct form overtime and my dedication, I could do anything.

For my skills, I chose to do religious studies. I was eager to learn more about why Christianity is so important for some people and know more in depth about the Bible.

For my residential section, I attended the Essex Jamboree in 2024 to complete my Gold. I was unable to attend the Jamboree in 2020 due to Covid. They only occur once every four years so I found this section the most challenging.

I joined the 2nd Great Parndon Scout Troop on their base camp and had so much fun. I met people from all across the world and participated in many fun activities including clay pigeon shooting, water activities, outdoor cinema, segways, live music and so much more.

My expedition was a fun one. Frank Reeves was a member of my group but had to separate and mix with another group of Explorers from London to make up numbers.

We were faced with 4 long days of canoeing along the River Severn, reaching around 100km in distance by the time we finished. There was hailstones, lightning, and heavy rain, all you could want on an expedition.

Not to mention the rapids with huge rocks alongside us so we had to be careful not to capsize. It took us until 10pm on the first day and my group found it so tough to be resilient, but we managed. There were times I found it so tough like when I was the only girl left in the group after my friend had to drop out because she fell ill. The whole trip I was thankful that I did actually train my upper body too because those currents were not nice!

I like how every section of my DofE came together and made me the person I am today – confident, helpful, peaceful, and resilient when situations get tough. I’m so grateful for this entire experience because of the opportunities it has given me.

I know I’ve made my parents proud, I’m glad my experience allowed my dad to have the opportunity to go to Buckingham Palace gardens with me.