DofE Diamond Anniversary!
The Duke of Edinburgh Award is sixty years old this year. In recognition of this, the Diamond Challenge has been established.
HRH the Countess of Wessex embarked on her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Diamond Challenge on Monday. She is cycling 445 miles from Edinburgh to London, and will be arriving into and staying in Buckinghamshire on Saturday 24th September before completing her route into London on the 25th.
The DofE has a huge impact on young people locally across Buckinghamshire, with 50,000 signed up to start an award this year from across the South East of England. The DofE support young people from all backgrounds, and provides additional provision to schools and centres that offer the award to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to ensure nobody who wants to sign-up misses out.
In High Wycombe, DofE is now a major part of Wycombe High School’s progressive outdoor education programme. This year, 121 students are completing their Bronze Award and approximately 17 are doing their Gold Award. Young people from all backgrounds complete their DofE through the school, and it enables students to push themselves out of their comfort zone by having to complete all of the sections themselves.
Additionally in Aylesbury, the Post 16 provision (of Stocklake Park School) at Harding House has run the Duke of Edinburgh Award since 2007. Harding House caters for students aged 16—19 with moderate and severe learning difficulties and a wide range of complex needs. Students gain their bronze award, choosing sectional activities and taking part in overnight camping expeditions in the Chiltern Hills, Buckinghamshire.