Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award

[Mrs C.]

I`ve just returned from seeing my daughter and 6 other YOBs being presented with their Awards.
Congratulations to them all!

[Katharine]

Please pass on my congratulations to her, Janet, what about her friend? Has she let Tricia at the Railway know she has completed the award? We hope that all who come to us do so, but we don't always hear from them.

When I got mine, we had the badges presented at school on a Tuesday by the then Sir John Hunt, later Lord Hunt, of Everest fame. That was the end of term, so when we went to the Palace for the certificates two days later all the others were OBs. Sir John was charming to us, recognising us as we were by far the largest group of girls there!

[midget]

Congratulations to them all.
Maggie

[Eruresto]

Well done! (My own DofE/QSA hike was cancelled so I have to wait till August...)

[Sallz]

when you do yours josh, is there room for one more? Iv done everything, but INS couldnt get an assessor for our hike, and it seems a shame to have wasted all that effort

[sejintenej]

Congratulations to them all.
When Peter Hildrew (ThB) and I got ours the school initially refused to allow us the day off to go to Buck House but was persuaded otherwise.

Otherwise it was totally ignored by the school - even many years later when they made a fuss about a pupil who they claimed was the "first" CH pupil to get it.

[J.R.]

My congratulations to all concerned.

[AKAP]

Salz

I am an assessor for the Gold expeditions in The Cheviots.
If you fail to get into an expedition group, we run what is called an "open gold", during the summer holidays, basically peolpe like yourself sign up and come as a single. It lasts a week and the first three days are spent forming up into groups, planning the routes and having some practice day walks. Costs are kept low because you will end up camping for the whole week (recently at Kirk Newton in the grounds of an old school now owned by the Girl Guides). I believe that other assessment areas i.e Lakes, Yorkshire Dales etc also run open golds so it is probably refered to on the D of E web site.
If you are interested and can't find out the information let me know and I can put you in contact with somone who can get you the information.

[J.R.]

Gold in the Cheviots ??????????

I did mine in Snowdonia, with constant rain sleet and snow.

Silver was in the New Forest, which was fantastic !

[Sallz]

Thanks for that AKAP, Il do some research into that.
I did all three of my expeditions in Snowdonia, although it never rained on the hike, only on the day either side

[Katharine]

Looking out of my office window onto a glorious Snowdonia river estuary glinting in the sunshine, I cannot imagine how you manage to think we ever have rain here!!!! You must have been soooo unlucky!!

My gold expedition was far less inspiring it was between Hertford and Coventry.

[sejintenej]

Gold in the Cheviots ??????????

I did mine in Snowdonia, with constant rain sleet and snow.

ditto. Arrived at Bala in March in a light snowstorm and straightway went upwards onto the moors. Two days of marching in a whiteouit by compass and we were a couple oif hundred yards off course. We were thendue to do the PyG track up Snowdon but decided it was too dangerous so we changed our route . Lucky we did - a couple of Army cadets slipped and were killed on the PyG track when we were due to be going up there (which we learned several days later).
In those days there was nobody to check that you were still alive - either you got back to CH next term or you didn't.

I also am still qualified as a Gold Expedition examiner for England and Wales but am "out of practice".

[Mid A 15]

Salz

I am an assessor for the Gold expeditions in The Cheviots.
If you fail to get into an expedition group, we run what is called an "open gold", during the summer holidays, basically peolpe like yourself sign up and come as a single. It lasts a week and the first three days are spent forming up into groups, planning the routes and having some practice day walks. Costs are kept low because you will end up camping for the whole week (recently at Kirk Newton in the grounds of an old school now owned by the Girl Guides). I believe that other assessment areas i.e Lakes, Yorkshire Dales etc also run open golds so it is probably refered to on the D of E web site.
If you are interested and can't find out the information let me know and I can put you in contact with somone who can get you the information.

AKAP, Good to see you back!

Long time no hear.

[AKAP]

Good to be back.
p.s bumped into Howard Hull last week.

[Eruresto]

when you do yours josh, is there room for one more? Iv done everything, but INS couldnt get an assessor for our hike, and it seems a shame to have wasted all that effort

Possibly, yes. I'm not sure but will check. If not, there will be this year's deps doing it next Michaelmas...