By royal appointment

On Weds, 22 May Headteacher, Mr Eastham, and Lead Teacher for Geography, Mr Watters, were invited to attend Buckingham Palace as Special Regional Guests for the Duke Of Edinburgh Awards.

The prestigious event celebrated the achievements of 1500 young people from across the UK who have spent 12-18 months challenging themselves to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The DofE allows young people to develop skills and attributes that are transferable to the workplace. It gives young people the opportunity to evidence, in applications and interviews, real life situations where soft skills have been gained. 

Achieving this award is an amazing accomplishment with all those completing having volunteered in the local community, learnt a new skill, improved at a physical activity, planned and undertaken an expedition and spent 5 days working away from home.

The event was in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh himself alongside the Earl and Countess of Wessex.  During the day, Mr Eastham and Mr Watters met with the young people to hear their truly inspiring DofE journeys; clearly showing their commitment, resilience and determination.

Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of the DofE said “The DofE changes lives; opens doors to employment and education; enables young people to build strong relationships; and introduces them to a broad range of interests.
I want to give a huge thank you to all the schools and academies and their volunteers that run the DofE; the impact their dedication has on the lives of their pupils and local communities is second to none.”

The DofE journey at Priory begins in Year 9.  The co-ordinator for the award is Mr Watters and any enquiries can be emailed to him at a.watters@priory.lancs.sch.uk.