Young people from Ganton School in Hull welcomed a visit by Emma Hardy MP with whom they shared stories of their involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) scheme and its positive impact.
The students, who all have additional needs, recounted experiences from their Physical, Skill or Volunteering sections. Ganton School has been a DofE licensed organisation for over ten years, and in that time has supported nearly 100 young people to start a DofE Award.
Over the past year alone, participants from the school have collectively given 52 hours of voluntary service to the local community. Alisha Greenwood, 15, who is doing her Bronze DofE at Ganton School, said: “Doing DofE has helped me a lot because it has made me more independent.
“I have learnt a lot of new skills that help me achieve my best. I have really enjoyed planning walks and then following the map to complete them.
“DofE has given me the inspiration to want to help other children by becoming a teaching assistant.” Ms Hardy, who is the MP for Hull West and Haltemprice, said: “I was delighted to visit Ganton School to speak with students participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
“Every child in Hull West and Haltemprice deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Speaking with students and watching them lead a volunteering session made it clear that participation in this programme has given them a strong sense of pride, boosted their confidence, and helped them develop valuable skills that will serve them well in the future.
“The staff at Ganton have been fantastic in helping students overcome additional challenges, showing that with the right support, barriers can be broken down and all children can achieve their goals.” To do their DofE, young people aged 14 to 24 choose activities in four sections: improving a Physical and Skills activity, Volunteering for a cause of their choice, and completing a demanding Expedition.
Along the way they have fun, grow in resilience and self-belief, discover new talents and passions, and learn practical skills to help them in future – while working towards a highly respected award. A record-breaking number of young people started their DofE Award across the UK in 2024-25 and the scheme wants to see 1.6 million young people start their DofE by spring 2026.
It has launched ambitious projects to fund schools and community organisations in the UK’s most deprived areas to start offering the DofE, to expand into more prisons and young offender institutions, and to support more young people with additional needs and disabilities to achieve their DofE Awards. John Egan, chief operating officer at the DofE, said: “We are delighted to showcase the DofE provision at Ganton School to Emma Hardy MP and demonstrate the impact the Award has on local young people and the wider community.
“We were particularly proud to show our DofE provision for all young people, including those with additional needs and disabilities, just one of many examples of this across the constituency. The DofE is more relevant now than ever before for all young people – helping them build lifelong skills like resilience, teamwork and self-belief – and it is great to show the incredible difference that young people are making to their communities through their Award across Kingston Upon Hull West and Haltemprice.’’
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