A young woman from Beverley, joined the Duke of Edinburgh and presenter Alex Scott to give a speech to thousands of young people and their loved ones at Buckingham Palace today (Friday, May 9) as they celebrated achieving their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards (DofE).
Poppy Bough, 20, who was also celebrating achieving her own Gold Award, took to the Palace’s West Terrace to share her inspiring DofE story with around 2,000 other young Award holders and their guests. Poppy, who did her DofE through Beverley High School, was joined for the special day by her mum Kirsty and school staff member Tracey Watson, who encouraged Poppy to get involved with the DofE and supported her throughout.
Poppy’s celebration was the first of four very special festival-style events taking place in the Buckingham Palace Garden over two days – Friday 9th and Monday 12th – recognising over 8,000 young people who have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and resilience to complete their Gold DofE in schools, community organisations, youth groups and workplaces, all over the UK. Poppy, who has autism, told the crowd how DofE was life-changing for her.
She said: “Before I began my DofE, I had never spent a night away from home and I had no friends to do it with. At the first meeting, I stood there petrified – but, for the first time ever, I saw something I could join in with.
“Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award I have pushed myself further than I thought possible. I became an NHS cadet, I completed my first-aid qualification and learned sign language, I trained to run a 10k and I became an expert at cooking a curry from scratch and even took spices and coconut milk on my expedition.
(Image: Ian Smithers, DofE)
“Walking miles with others and being able to join in with conversations was also a first for me. I learnt surprising things like Love Island was not a documentary about Ireland!
“I had always spent my time isolated and watching from the side. Suddenly I was part of something and encouraging others in from the sidelines too.
“The Poppy that I was at the start of this journey would never have stood here today. I am grateful to DofE for showing me that I am strong, I am different, but I no longer want to be the same as everyone else – I just want to be me.”
Poppy now volunteers at Castle Hill Hospital. She also delivers Oliver McGown autism training to staff in the NHS and will go on to study Biomedical Science at Hull University in September.
Buckingham Palace Garden has been transformed for the celebrations, with giant deckchairs, bunting, and garden games and activities. Attendees have the chance to hear from famous DofE Award holders and sporting legends, and pick up career advice from actors, presenters, authors and campaigners, at stages throughout the garden.
Today’s celebration was hosted by the Duke of Edinburgh – who received his own Gold Award from his father Prince Philip at nearby St James’s Palace in 1986. The Duke congratulated attendees, telling them that they should all be “incredibly proud” and “stand a few inches taller” before meeting Award holders and hearing about the positive impact their DofE has had on them.
(Image: Ian Smithers, DofE)
Alex Scott delivered an inspiring speech, sharing the lessons she had learnt from her own career, telling how her career began in a football cage at the end of her street on a Tower Hamlets council estate. “That cage was my Wembley, it’s where my dreams began,” she said.
Journalist Victoria Derbyshire, actor Larry Lamb, Strictly star Amy Dowden, stuntman and explorer Andy Torbet, aviator Mandy Hickson, Olympians Heather Fisher OLY and gymnast Jake Jarman were also on hand with inspirational talks on careers and life skills.
Ruth Marvel, CEO of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said: “Last year, over 342,000 young people started their DofE across the UK – the highest in our nearly 70 years of history. This shows just how much appetite there is among young people for enrichment opportunities beyond formal education.
“Together with our volunteers, partners and supporters, we want to reach 1.6 million young people by next spring – so that even more young people can take part in a life-changing DofE Award.”
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