Tom, who has been part of the programme for a number of years and has worked hard to achieve the different stages of the award. Tom had the honour and privilege to attend Buckingham Palace on Thursday 17 May to collect his Gold award. Tom commented ‘It was incredible; I spent the day with other award holders from across the Country and celebrated in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in the presence of royalty such as HRH The Earl of Wessex, HRH The Countess of Wessex and HRH The Princess Royal. I had the honour of speaking to Prince Edward about my gruelling expedition on the Brecon and he congratulated me on all the hard work I had put in and all my achievements on the programme’.

Head of Sixth Form, Mr A Yendell added ‘Tom is fantastic student within our Sixth Form, and I am delighted that he has achieved his Gold DoE award after all the hard work, dedication and commitment he has shown over the past few years. He is a credit to our College and a role model to our younger students and community. In the Sixth Form we actively encourage and support all our students to enrich themselves beyond their academic qualifications to help them develop the necessary life skills to succeed in their chosen career and personal aspirations. I am really proud of Tom’s achievements’.