Wokingham

Over 110 Wokingham young people were celebrating gold, silver and bronze success at the annual Duke of Edinburgh’s Award presentation ceremony held on April 26.

Wokingham Borough Council runs the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award through the borough’s schools, youth clubs, independent schools and other organisations such as scouts, guides and groups that specialise in working with young people with special needs. The award continues to grow in popularity each year.

The awards were presented by Simon Whitmore, south east regional operations manager of the awards scheme, witnessed by the deputy mayor Wokingham Cllr Annette Drake at a presentation ceremony held at Bearwood College Theatre. Some 73 young people received the bronze award, while 24 were awarded silver and 16 were awarded gold.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a voluntary programme of activities for anyone aged 14 – 25 years. The award is a four-section programme with three progressive levels: bronze, silver and gold. The sections are: service (helping the community), skills (a hobby, skill or interest), physical recreation (sport, dance, fitness) and expeditions (on foot, cycle, horseback or water). The amount of time spent on each activity depends on whether the young person is at bronze, silver or gold level.

Compères for the evening Alexandra Greehy and Samantha Pollen from Luckley Oakfield School in Wokingham. The Step-Up Academy dancers from Wokingham Youth Centre, a group of some 40 young people who teach, perform and encourage others to learn dance routines, entertained the audience. Pupils from the Holt School talked about their experiences on the animal care course, one of the most popular Duke of Edinburgh courses on offer.

Luckley Oakfield also provided musical entertainment on the saxophone and clarinet with performances of ‘Moon Dance’, ‘I could have danced all night’ and ‘Prelude.’

Cllr Annette Drake, deputy mayor at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “The presentation evening is a culmination of months of hard work by our young people. We should especially recognise the achievements of those with learning difficulties who have also exceeded all expectations. Some of those who collected their gold awards will have been involved with the award scheme for as long as ten years, demonstrating a huge amount of dedication. The presentation evening is a fantastic achievement and so is their contribution to our community.

“These awards would not be possible without those dedicated individuals including teachers, expedition leaders, assessors, supervisors and not forgetting parents, who give their support, time and enthusiasm to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. I would like to extend my congratulations to everyone involved. I am so proud of you all.”

Wokingham Borough Council