8 of the most inspiring moments from the Gold Awards
With the May sun overhead and Garden of Buckingham Palace in full bloom, our Gold Award holders and their guests celebrated in style. Our attendees got the chance to wander the gardens, take pictures in front of the Palace and hear from a range of well-known guest speakers about their careers and advice for the future.
From HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and young speakers delivering powerful speeches on the West Terrace, to actors, content creators and athletes on the satellite stages – the air was buzzing with celebration.
Here are 8 of the most inspiring moments from our Gold Award celebrations.
1. “The Award showed me how I could change my own life.”
Former DofE UK Youth Ambassador, Poppy, celebrated achieving her own Gold Award while speaking from the West Terrace. Poppy’s autism meant she struggled to fit in and find friends in school. Her teacher encouraged her to try DofE and, from there, Poppy pushed herself further than she thought possible. Through completing her Gold Award, Poppy discovered strengths she didn’t know were there and the determination to achieve her goals. Her story is proof that we are capable of more than we might think.
2. “Obstacles are not ‘stop signs’ – they are just detours on the way to something greater.”
Chelsea goalkeeper and Lioness, Hannah Hampton, knows first-hand what it’s like to take on the challenging path in life. Born with a squint and having undergone numerous operations on her eyes, Hannah had to deal with setbacks from an early age. But she never wanted to limit herself in anyway and, through her mindset, managed to overcome and pursue a successful career as a professional footballer, playing for England and winning two Women’s Super League titles. Through working hard, not taking “no” for an answer and constantly working to better herself, Hannah is living her dream.
3. “All I can remember is sitting in the tent with my friends, chatting the evening away and grinning from ear to ear.”
Musician and Gold Award holder, Ved, shared his memories from his expedition during the Covid-19 pandemic. He had no camping experience outside doing his DofE, and he had battled through two days of sweltering heat and bug bites before being hit by a storm that reduced visibility to a few feet. Setting up his tent in the evening, he was dripping wet, covered in mud and utterly demoralised. But that’s not what Ved thinks of when he remembers his expedition. He remembers chatting with friends, cooking tasty food on the Trangia and how fun was all the challenges were to navigate – particularly after so much time indoors during lockdown. Ved’s expedition reminds us all that, even when we’re going through a tough time, there will be reasons to smile down the line.
4. “Step onto every new pitch like you own it!”
Former Arsenal captain and Lioness, Alex Scott, shared her story from the West Terrace, which started at the football cage at the end of her street in a council estate in Tower Hamlets, East London. To her, that football cage was where she could be free, have fun and express herself. It’s where she discovered a voice inside her telling her that “there’s more in this world for you”. Alex encouraged young people and their guests to find a space that feels like your football cage, where you find the confidence to dream big – like through doing your DofE.
5. “One day your voices could be echoing around the offices of your local MPs and together we could be making changes that really matter.”
Sea Cadet Miles found his feet during his DofE journey and told us how he discovered his passion for the environment after carrying out a half marathon litter pick along the River Thames and seeing the effects of pollution first-hand during his paddleboarding expedition. “DofE gave me a sense of empowerment, and I realised that I had a voice. After carrying out water quality testing on my gold expedition, I wrote to my local MP about the amount of sewage in our rivers and have encouraged others to find their voices too.”
6. “In a world that needs more kindness, more courage, more people who show up – what you’ve done matters.”
Paralympian and Chair of the DofE charity, Baroness Grey-Thompson, has seen time and time again how impactful a Gold Award can be. As an athlete, Tanni competed in five Paralympic Games, won 16 medals as a wheelchair racer, won the London Marathon six times and held over 30 world records. She learnt that when she put her mind to it and worked hard, there was no limit to what she could achieve. And that is what a Gold DofE Award can show you as well. That you set goals, you show up, you stick with it when it gets tough, and you contribute to the world around you.
7. “Me-time became a necessity for my wellbeing whereas before I would have said it was a luxury.”
Charlotte spoke from the West Terrace about her journey to achieving her DofE Gold Award. Doing her DofE became a lifeline for her while being a part-time carer for her dad, who has early-onset dementia. Charlotte realised that in order to care for her dad in the best way possible, she needed to care for herself first. Through completing her Gold Award through DofE Direct, she carved out time for herself and gained a hobby, a community, a goal and a reason to get out of the house. Charlotte is a great reminder for all of us that to take care of others, we first need to take care of ourselves.
8. “The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award didn’t just change my life — it saved it.”
Professional chef Jon Watts is a living example of how the DofE can change lives. At 18, he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison. Instead of giving up, he signed up to do his DofE. Learning to cook for his Skills section lit a fire inside him, and he went on to gain invaluable work experience in one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants post-release, he’s doing better than he ever dreamed. Jon, and appeared on multiple TV shows, all because of what he learnt during his DofE. He now visits schools and prisons to share his story and show what’s possible, because there is always a way forward no matter your background, the mistakes you’ve made, or how low you’ve felt.
