I was first introduced to the DofE while attending Lymm Grammar School in Cheshire, my headmaster was friends with Lord John Hunt, the first director of the DofE Awards. Our school was selected to be part of the girls’ pilot scheme in 1958 and I was curious to find out what it involved so I signed up for Bronze.

I achieved all three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold and I remember it being quite a commitment and a tough old time! DofE came at a time when there were limited opportunities available for young people. It opened doors, especially back in my year when there weren’t many things that opened doors.

For my Gold expedition I cycled over 160 miles along the North Wales, I had already completed my other sections and the Expedition was the only thing holding me back. I only had three gears on my bike and just two friends joining me but I was determined to complete my Gold! I have fond memories of my expedition, we cycled through picturesque countrysides and visited many castles and ancient sites, we covered ground from Cheshire all the way to Holy Island in Anglesey. We had many laughs, no punctures and I don’t remember any rain – perfect!

I chose lifesaving for “giving service” which is now the Volunteering section. I learned which stripe pattern suited me best in “what to wear and when to wear it”, this was a subject line under the “Design for Living” aspect of the Girls’ Scheme at the time. For my Residential I set off on the train from Manchester to London on my own to attend a week of activities led by Phyllis Gordon Spencer, the Secretary for the Girls’ Scheme which was very exciting.

Being part of the pilot project meant I was one of the first 200 girls to achieve my Gold Award. I remember a celebration event at St James’s Palace and HRH Prince Philip took the time to talk to each of us, he was very chatty! Two months later, we were invited by the Lord Mayor of London to a celebratory dinner at the Guildhall, it was a truly memorable occasion.

Carolyn at her Gold Award celebration event in 1961.

However, when I got back home I didn’t celebrate my achievement in the same way as you would today, a lot of people didn’t know what the DofE was and there were wider challenges across the country at the time. DofE was very much in its infancy and we didn’t celebrate in those days, we were still paying for the war – things just weren’t plentiful.

My grandson Luca has now completed his own Gold Award. When I attended his Gold Awards it felt very different to my own but I was pleased to have seen him thrive through the Awards in the same way that I did, He’s had a really good time doing it, the variety of things he can choose from is huge and there’s plenty of people helping him along the way.

Carolyn and Luca at the 2025 Gold Awards.

Luca sprained his ankle on his Gold practice expedition which nearly prevented him from completing but he knew he had to try again because he thought if he didn’t do it then the streak has ended.

“With three generations of Gold Award holders, DofE has become a family tradition.”

If you were inspired by John’s story, why not share your own DofE memory?