NEARLY 30 young people received their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Awards from the Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire.

More than 100 supporters gathered in the Great Hall in Winchester to join the celebration hosted by the Hampshire Forum.

Welcomed in by marimba music played by Grace and Faith Lane from Hampshire Music Service the event on, Friday, July 7 was a celebration of the award recipients' achievements from hiking and canoeing expeditions to overseas adventures, volunteering and crewing Tall Ships.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is a nationwide scheme, requiring participants to volunteer, learn or improve a skill, take part in a physical activity and complete an expedition.

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For the Gold Award, a young person will typically give more than 50 hours volunteering, spend 18 months on the skill and physical activities and undertake a four-day expedition – carrying all their kit and being self-sufficient.

Civic leaders from across the county, led by the Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Angela Clear and the chair of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Patricia Stallard, along with representatives from voluntary organisations, came to honour the young people’s achievements.

Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson, who is also the president of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Hampshire, presented the certificates.

He said: “These young people have demonstrated a huge level of commitment and determination to gain this very prestigious award, and they can be very proud of their achievement.

“I know they will all have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge too. As there is a real need for leaders to train the next generation of young participants, I would urge them to continue their good work and enjoyment by offering their time and skills as volunteers for DofE.”

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Outgoing chair of the Hampshire Forum, Professor Khalid Aziz, said: “DofE represents a major challenge, and gaining the Gold Award is a real achievement. I hope to see many more young people following in their footsteps in the years to come.”

The audience also heard from Ashwin Bali about his experiences as someone who had started his DofE at 23, rather than the more usual age of 16 to 18. Ashwin shared a short extract from a film he had made about creating his camper van and using it to explore Britain.

Young people in Hampshire can access financial support for their Gold expedition through the Lord-Lieutenant's Fund which has been running for nearly 20 years and recently sponsored its 2,000th person on their expedition.

For more information about participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, contact hampshiredofeforum@gmail.com.