Published on:
09
April 2009
Alison Passe and Tom Davenport, members of the Hillfoots Open Award Group, have achieved their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award.
These are the first Gold Awards from a group run by Clackmannanshire Council for many years.
Alison and Tom, who are 6th year pupils at Alva Academy, will now travel to Edinburgh on 1st July when they will be presented with their award by His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at a ceremony at the Palace of Holyrood House.
Before that, they will be congratulated by their school at Alva Academy's annual prizegiving, which takes place on Thursday 25th June at 7pm.
Alison (17) and Tom (18) have achieved their Gold Awards through a diverse range of activities for a period of 18 months. They worked tirelessly through five sections of their DofE programme - Volunteering, Physical, Skills, Expedition and a Residential Section.
Tom's programme included learning first aid, playing the French horn, playing hockey and volunteering with the National Trust for Scotland, while Alison helped out at her local church, became an accomplished Scottish Country Dancer, played the clarsach and volunteered with the National Trust for Scotland.
Both Alison and Tom completed the expedition section of their award last October when they spent three nights under canvas in the Blair Atholl area and walked over 50 miles. They were accompanied by five other Alva Academy pupils who all hope to achieve their Gold Award in the near future.
Gordon Comrie is the Hillfoots Open Award Group leader. He said: "I'm really proud of Alison and Tom - they are a credit to their school and their community and I'm so pleased that they have achieved their Gold Awards. I can't take any credit for their achievement - they've done it on their own, working really hard and on their own initiative a lot of the time."
George Matchett, Portfolio Holder for Inclusion, said: "Congratulations to Tom and Alison. I'm delighted to hear about these young adults' remarkable achievements. The Duke of Edinburgh Awards are a superb scheme which provides young people with an extensive range of skills - from volunteering to physical challenges, developing existing new talents or trying something new, taking part in an expedition and, for the Gold Award, undertaking a residential trip as part of a team. These are all skills that will provide them with invaluable assets towards further education, employment and training, as well as being used to help local communities, charities and voluntary groups."
Two other local teenagers are a step closer to achieving their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Andrew Greenhill (18), a member of the Hillfoots Open Award Group and Louise MacLeod (16), of the Lornshill Academy Award Group, have secured places on the 'Alba Endeavour' and will join the ship in Glasgow on Monday 13th April. Andrew and Louise will work with the Ocean Youth Trust Scotland assisting visually impaired youngsters on a five day cruise around the west coast of Scotland for the Residential element of their Award.
In 2007 the DofE celebrated its 50th Anniversary and since 1956 the DofE has challenged over six million young people around the world to try new things, learn more about themselves and work together for their own benefit and that of their local communities. Young people will achieve a Duke of Edinburgh's Award if they show persistence, commitment and personal development over a period of time. Every activity must be successfully completed and assessed. The result is the world's leading achievement award for young people, recognised by employers and universities alike.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award supports over 275,000 people aged 14-24 every year. Their ethos is to enable every young person of every background to take part in their programmes and succeed, regardless of any barriers. They help instil a sense of adventure and have a lasting impact on young people's behaviour, skills and life chances.
Sylvia Murphy and Alyson Macfarlane have also achieved their Gold Awards, Alyson through Play Alloa and Sylvia through the Army Cadet Force. They have also been invited to attend the event at Holyrood on 1st July.