College Representatives Celebrated for Duke of Edinburgh Award Efforts at Buckingham Palace

Staff from across College were invited to an exciting and exclusive event at Buckingham Palace to celebrate and recognise the work the College has done in promoting the growth of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Sixth Form Pastoral and Personal Development Lead, Sophie Diaper, and Public Services lecturer Johnny Verhey were in attendance for the event, which was hosted by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Attendees were invited to celebrate the 8,000 young people who have completed their Gold DofE in schools, colleges, youth groups, and workplaces across the UK.

Speaking of their experience, Sophie said, “It has been an incredible experience to visit Buckingham Palace gardens, hear from some inspirational young people and speakers, and most importantly, represent Loughborough College.”

The Duke of Edinburgh Award has recently announced record-breaking numbers of engagement, with a staggering 4.7 million hours of volunteering contributed over 2023-24. Last year, eleven Sixth Form students completed two tough expeditions in order to achieve their awards.

Lecturer Johnny Verhey was also in attendance and added, “Our current Year 13 A Level cohort are just finishing their Gold Awards. We look forward to seeing them attend next year’s celebrations. They have worked so hard, and we are so proud of everything they have achieved.”

Guest speakers from the celebration included Olympian Heather Fisher, actor Jason Watkins, and broadcaster Clive Myrie. A second event celebrating even more Duke of Edinburgh Award holders also took place at the start of this week (Monday 13 May) which saw amongst its guest speakers, Loughborough College alumna, Gladiators star, Jodie Ounsley.