Duke of Edinburgh’s Award alumni asked for memories to mark 70th anniversary

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) alumni and others are being encouraged to share their experiences of the popular scheme in celebration of the charity’s 70th anniversary.

Double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes and TV chef Matt Tebbutt are two of the celebrities who have reminisced about their efforts earning the coveted bronze, silver or gold honours when younger.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, DofE chairwoman of trustees, whose daughter Carys achieved her gold award last year, said: “In seven decades of the DofE charity, we’ve learned that there’s no limit to what young people can achieve when they are given the right opportunities, even when external circumstances are tough.

“Our founder HRH Prince Philip once said, ‘There is more in you than you might think’ and the DofE helps young people realise this.”

The former paralympic icon added: “As we celebrate 70 years of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, we’re recognising DofE participants past and present, and the incredible volunteers who make their journey possible — we’d love anyone with a connection to the charity to celebrate with us by sharing their memories on DofE.org.”

The late Duke of Edinburgh founded his eponymous awards scheme in 1956 to help teenage boys leaving school develop life skills and confidence by completing tasks before entering National Service, and it has grown into a youth achievement programme both at home and abroad.

During the past 70 years more than 2.5 million young people in the UK have achieved a bronze award, 886,000 silver, and 353,000 gold, while overseas 1.2 million 14 to 24-year-olds participated in the scheme last year.

To mark the 70th anniversary, the DofE charity has released never-before-seen items from its archive, including Philip’s annotated draft speech for his segment in The Way Ahead — the first DofE promotional film, released in 1958.

John Green, 85, from London, took part in Philip’s pilot DofE programme in the 1950s and was among the first boys to receive their gold award from the late duke at Buckingham Palace on June 4 1958.

John was introduced to the awards scheme at his boxing club and started with his silver DofE, choosing photography, first aid and athletics for his sectional activities, and explored the South Downs for his expedition.

Sharing his story to mark the charity’s 70th year, John said: “It was important to do the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award because it gave young people like myself the opportunity to do something that we weren’t encouraged to do at home or school. No one can imagine what life was like then.

“Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, I turned out OK and didn’t do too badly; it was all down to that.”

Philip’s son Edward inherited his father’s title of Duke of Edinburgh in 2023, two years after Philip’s death, and that year became patron of the charity and the international award.

Edward, who achieved his gold award in 1986 and has been associated with the charity for 30 years, said in 2023: “Being asked to take on the role after my father is a particular honour and quite a responsibility.

“Sustaining and enhancing what is arguably his greatest legacy around the world matters a great deal to me, as does pursuing the awards’ long-term ambition of universal access so that every eligible young person has the opportunity to participate.”

Dame Kelly, who achieved her silver award, said: “I have amazing memories of my DofE while I was at school, like camping, getting lost and laughing.

“It provided an opportunity to challenge myself, learn new things. Working in the community was great although hard work as a landscape gardener. It is something that I still talk about with my schoolfriends to this day.”