Thirty-three students from Plymstock School participated in their Bronze Qualifying Expedition for their Duke of Edinburgh’s award on Saturday 11th-12th of June . This was their final expedition that followed on from a training day in school and practice expedition last month.

The aim of the expedition programme is for students to develop team participation and map and cooking skills, alongside their appreciation for the outdoors. As part of the weekend the students had to be completely self-sufficient: so, they had to carry everything they needed on their backs, including camping and cooking equipment, first aid kits and lots of snacks!

Saturday saw both the groups walking a route of around 10 miles, starting from Mount Edgecombe, following the coastal path to Whitsand Bay. The energy was maintained when getting into camp with a camping style evening of setting up their tents, cooking, and multiple games of hide and seek. On Sunday, the day started with packing away camp, cooking breakfast and a hike back through the countryside to finish back at Mount Edgecombe. All groups were then debriefed by staff and sent home for a much-needed shower and rest!

Mrs de Mora, DofE Manager, commented ‘It was another fantastic weekend. We were very fortunate again to have perfect conditions. The students thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and were a real credit to the school with their attitude and behaviour. I didn’t hear one complaint all weekend, which was a big improvement from the practice weekend! I’m proud of all you, congratulations on achieving your Bronze award! I also want to celebrate and thank the staff for their time and energy invested in helping our students develop and achieve their goals. Without you, none of this would be possible’.

Across the country In 2021/22:

• 321,622 young people started their DofE journey – the highest number in our 66-year history
• 30.5% of all 14-year-olds in the UK started a Bronze DofE programme
• Across the UK, almost 485,945 young people worked towards a DofE Award during the year – up by 47% on the previous year – with Awards achieved up by 120%
• Young people gave 2,156,076 volunteering hours to support their communities – an estimated total value of nearly £10 million.

These record-breaking figures show a motivated generation who, despite all the challenges they have faced, are looking to try new things, broaden their horizons and make a positive difference to others. Every young person’s DofE journey is as unique as them, but a theme common to all our participants is that DofE gives them the chance to prove to themselves what they are capable of.