logo
Duke of Edinburgh says awards mark ‘pride and success' in youth achievements

Duke of Edinburgh says awards mark ‘pride and success' in youth achievements

Rhyl Journal04-07-2025
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) was founded by the late Prince Philip in 1956 and to achieve a gold award young people must complete physical, skills, volunteering and expedition sections as well as a residential.
On Friday, the Palace of Holyroodhouse's gardens were transformed into a festival-style party, with games, food stalls, and various activities as around 600 gold award winners celebrated their achievements.
Attendees heard from famous Scots including Olympic runner Eilish McColgan, singer Nathan Evans, and actor James Cosmo.
The Duke of Edinburgh, who received his own award from his father, Prince Philip, in 1986, gave a speech and told attendees: 'It's really good to see you all here today, and particularly, congratulations to each and every one of you who have managed to achieve your gold DofE.
'This is for you, this is our recognition and celebration of your achievements. I hope that today is an excellent day for you and a real celebration for that.'
Referring back to his youth when he began working towards his own award, he joked: 'I hope the experience of doing your award was a good one, that it was enjoyable. I'm guessing there were probably times when you were wondering why you were doing it, and if it was anything like mine that was probably about halfway through the expedition!'
He added: 'But it's a great feeling when you get to the end and it's that feeling of pride and success in your achievement that we want to celebrate today and we want to capture.'
Olympian and British and European record holder, Eilish McColgan, delivered a speech alongside Nerea Winchester, 18, from Glasgow, who celebrated her own gold award achievement.
Ms McColgan said: 'There are many similarities between the DofE and my athletics club. Not just in the obvious areas like hard work and discipline, but that sense of community. Being surrounded by likeminded individuals, all striving to make themselves better.
'In 2011, I ran in my first ever live televised race. Dreaming of qualifying for the world championships. But with 600m to go. I heard a pop. I knew instantly I'd broken my foot. But me being me, and a typical stubborn Scot, I wasn't going to let a broken foot stop me. I kept running.
'Sadly, it wasn't the fairytale ending. Finishing the race came at a cost. A few days later the surgeon told me I'd never run professionally again but suggested I could 'hobby jog'. It was one of the toughest moments of my life, but like many of you on your DofE journeys, I'd learned the value of resilience, of showing up, and of not giving up when things get hard.
'I think if I didn't have my friends from the running club to distract me, my recovery would have looked very different. Instead, I really leant on my support network. Even when I couldn't run, I'd still go down to the track just to keep my motivation high. I truly believe that made a huge difference.'
Nerea, also a DofE youth ambassador, volunteered for Oxfam for three years as part of the work towards earning her award.
She said: 'Through my DofE sections, I found groups and niches of people who not only accepted my chatty, loud self, but embraced it fully. Without meeting these people through the DofE, I can't guarantee I would feel confident enough to unapologetically be myself.
'DofE gave me a purpose in life and let me express my creativity like never before. I never felt I was good at art or capable of creating it.
'However, when I picked up knitting for my DofE Skills section, I found an amazing creative outlet. It was challenging, but I learned to trust the process and, in doing so, built my resilience as well as rediscovering my creativity.'
Speaking before he gave a speech to those attending, actor James Cosmo told the PA News Agency: 'If you are a parent listening out there, or a young person, you should really think about doing the DofE award.
'No matter what your circumstance is, there's something there to suit you and your future career, for your personal development, nothing beats it, it's fantastic.'
He added: 'These people go through the bronze, silver and then gold and so a lot of the time they're doing voluntary work, nobody's paying much attention to them, they're just getting on with it and showing the dedication and stick ability.
'So it's nice at the end of it all, to recognise the effort they've made when clearly there was nobody there to cheer them on. They did it.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Daniel Wiffen misses out on 400m Freestyle Final after recovering from appendicitis: ‘I'm not letting it affect me'
Daniel Wiffen misses out on 400m Freestyle Final after recovering from appendicitis: ‘I'm not letting it affect me'

Belfast Telegraph

time10 minutes ago

  • Belfast Telegraph

Daniel Wiffen misses out on 400m Freestyle Final after recovering from appendicitis: ‘I'm not letting it affect me'

Belfast native McMillan posted a time of 3:47.55 to finish 14th for Great Britain, over a second off the time required to qualify for the Final. Ireland's Wiffen finished 16th with a time of 3:47.57. The Magheralin man said: 'I was pretty disappointed with the overall time. I didn't follow the race plan I was meant to. Honestly though I'm happy, it's a warm-up for my main events later in the week. I'm looking forward to the 800m in the next two days. 'I had appendicitis about five weeks ago, but I'm not using that as an excuse, as I'm hopefully fully recovered at this point. I'm not letting it affect me at this World Championships. I'm here to race and race fast'. Wiffen will also compete in the 800m and 1500m. This time last year, Wiffen won Olympic gold in the 800m and bronze over 1500m.

Prince William and Princess Charlotte spotted at Euros final cheering on England
Prince William and Princess Charlotte spotted at Euros final cheering on England

Daily Mirror

time40 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Prince William and Princess Charlotte spotted at Euros final cheering on England

Prince William and Princess Charlotte have been spotted cheering on England's women football team at the Euros final. The Prince of Wales and his 10-year-old daughter travelled to Basel, Switzerland, to support the team during their final clash with Spain. The match, broadcast live on both BBC One and ITV1, comes after England beat Italy 2-1 in the semi-final in Geneva on Tuesday evening. On Saturday, William, who is patron of the FA, sent a special message to the Lionesses. He wrote on X: "Good luck to the Lionesses tomorrow. The nation is so proud you are through to the final, after some stunning comebacks! We are all cheering you on! W." In a show of support ahead of the final, the Band of the Grenadier Guards performed Three Lions on the Buckingham Palace forecourt, while the Royal Family's official X account posted: "Wishing the very best of luck to the Lionesses in the Women's Euro Final this evening." The King and Queen also wished the team their "warmest congratulations" after the semi-final earlier this week. Charles said: "Knowing the Lionesses' fighting spirit, I suspect we are in for another thrilling encounter on Sunday. "Your achievements continue to inspire countless girls and women across the nation, proving once again that with dedication and teamwork, anything is possible. Good luck, England. May you roar to victory once more. Charles R." Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "Into the final and inspiring the nation. Let's bring it home." Meanwhile, cricketer Joe Root wished the Lionesses' the "very best of luck" in an online message, adding: "It's been great to watch you play throughout the tournament." Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson said the team has "absolutely smashed it," adding that "everybody is so proud of you". The Lionesses will be looking for redemption against Spain, who edged them 1-0 in the 2023 Women's World Cup final. England boss Sarina Wiegman said the team is "going to do everything we can to win it" and she would prefer to avoid a "nerve-wracking" match.

Royals lead nation in wishing England's Lionesses good luck ahead of Euros final
Royals lead nation in wishing England's Lionesses good luck ahead of Euros final

South Wales Guardian

time4 hours ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Royals lead nation in wishing England's Lionesses good luck ahead of Euros final

Sunday's match kicks off at 5pm UK time in Basel, Switzerland, and will be broadcast live on both BBC One and ITV1. In a show of support ahead of the final, the Band of the Grenadier Guards performed Three Lions on the Buckingham Palace forecourt, while the royal family's official X account posted: 'Wishing the very best of luck to the @Lionesses in the Women's Euro Final this evening.' Let's go girls!! 💪🦁⚽️ Wishing the very best of luck to the @Lionesses in the Women's Euro Final this evening. — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 27, 2025 The Prince of Wales, who is patron of the Football Association (FA) and set to be in Switzerland on Sunday to cheer the team on, wished them good luck on Saturday. In an message, William said: 'Good luck to the Lionesses tomorrow. 'The nation is so proud you are through to the final, after some stunning comebacks! We are all cheering you on! W.' After England beat Italy 2-1 in the semi-final in Geneva on Tuesday evening, the King and Queen wished the team their 'warmest congratulations'. Charles said: 'Knowing the Lionesses' fighting spirit, I suspect we are in for another thrilling encounter on Sunday. 'Your achievements continue to inspire countless girls and women across the nation, proving once again that with dedication and teamwork, anything is possible. 'Good luck, England. May you roar to victory once more. Charles R.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'Into the final and inspiring the nation. Let's bring it home.' Meanwhile, cricketer Joe Root wished the Lionesses' the 'very best of luck' in an online message, adding: 'It's been great to watch you play throughout the tournament.' Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson said the team has 'absolutely smashed it', adding that 'everybody is so proud of you'. Meanwhile, BBC Sport and ITV have secured the broadcasting rights for the Women's World Cup 2027, meaning the tournament will remain free-to-air for UK viewers. England's path to the final has been marked by late drama. They sealed their spot with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy, following a penalty shootout victory against Sweden in the quarter-finals after nearly crashing out in extra time. The Lionesses will be looking for redemption against Spain, who edged them 1-0 in the 2023 Women's World Cup final. England boss Sarina Wiegman said the team is 'going to do everything we can to win it' and she would prefer to avoid a 'nerve-wracking' match.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store