Latest news with #DofE
Pembrokeshire Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Marine detectives shine a light on secret lives of Cardigan Bay dolphins
WHEN it comes to endurance, Pembrokeshire schoolgirl Carys Rycroft ranks up there with the elite after becoming one of the youngest people in the UK to earn the highly prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Completing it when she was aged just 17, Carys' achievement was acknowledged this week when she attended a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in the presence of Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh. Speaking with Carys, it soon becomes apparent that her motivation levels are exemplary. At six o-clock that morning, she told me that she'd ridden Dewi, the Arab thoroughbred gelding, along a section of the Pembrokeshire Coast path as part of a training schedule for next month's Man versus Horse' endurance race where riders have to cover up to 24 miles of tough terrain, predominantly in the hills around Llanwrtyd Wells, and complete the ride within six hours. Last year Carys galloped her way through 60 riders to finish 15th. Carys: With a big smile on her face at last year's Man Versus Horse race To achieve the DofE Gold Award, Carys also had to spend four nights and five days on a residential expedition, which had to be carried out with people she had never previously met. She decided to join a yacht crew and sail from Hayling Island in Plymouth, to Cowes, where she learnt the intricacies of sailing and worked cohesively with her crew. Hand-in-hand with these extreme challenges, Carys was preparing for her A' levels in physics, chemistry, biology and art after achieving 13 A*s and one A in her GCSEs at Ysgol y Preseli in 2023. What makes her accomplishments even more pronounced is the fact that she has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 'Because I've always loved being outdoors, doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award and training for events like the Man versus Horse endurance race is a perfectly natural thing to do,' Carys told The Herald. 'In many ways, I found travelling up to London and going to Buckingham Palace in smart clothes far more scary. 'Yes, having ASD means that mixing socially with people can sometimes be difficult, so sailing with a crew of people I'd never met before was nerve-wracking. But it was as if I'd known them for years and they made the whole experience so easy. In fact the skipper said that it was one of the closest and most fun groups he'd ever had. 'I loved learning how to sail, and I definitely want to do some sailing races, but because of my A levels, this has had to be put temporarily on my to-do list.' Like so many students as they enter Year 10, Carys promptly signed up for the bronze DofE, choosing music as her skill, (she's a dedicated euphonium player who plays with the Goodwick Senior Brass Band the South Wales Youth Band and the Pembrokeshire Youth Brass Band), horse riding as her physical requirement and litter picking and helping out at Fishguard Cinema for volunteering. 'Watching Carys arrive back from those walking expeditions, when she was doing the bronze and the silver DofE Awards, always made us laugh because there was Carys, skipping or running down the hill, while everyone else was exhausted,' laughed her mother, Sharon Jenkins. 'But this is so typical of her energy levels. Last year she hiked all the way across Wales for her Gold, and now she wants to walk the entire Welsh coastal path for her own personal challenge. 'She really is an incredibly strong person who's achieving so much, but also being so determined to do all these new challenges. Her ASD specialist recently told me that if she hadn't been given the opportunity to take part in all these different things from a very young age, she'd probably be unable to cope with her day to day life.' Meanwhile Carys is preparing for her next academic venture, with a view to studying medicine and forensic pathology. 'I'm still not sure which universities to apply for, but wherever I end up, I'll most definitely be carrying on with my horse riding and sailing,' she said. 'I'm also trying to find out which universities have brass bands in their area. 'The DofE has been a brilliant way for me to expand on interests I already had, as well as giving me the chance to try out new ones, such as sailing. But most importantly, it's helped me see that once I set my mind to achieve something, dedication and determination will always help me succeed.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Pembrokeshire student celebrates DofE gold at Buckingham Palace
WHEN it comes to endurance, Pembrokeshire schoolgirl Carys Rycroft ranks up there with the elite after becoming one of the youngest people in the UK to earn the highly prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Completing it when she was aged just 17, Carys' achievement was acknowledged this week when she attended a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace in the presence of Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh. Speaking with Carys, it soon becomes apparent that her motivation levels are exemplary. At six o-clock that morning, she told me that she'd ridden Dewi, the Arab thoroughbred gelding, along a section of the Pembrokeshire Coast path as part of a training schedule for next month's Man versus Horse' endurance race where riders have to cover up to 24 miles of tough terrain, predominantly in the hills around Llanwrtyd Wells, and complete the ride within six hours. Last year Carys galloped her way through 60 riders to finish 15th. Carys: With a big smile on her face at last year's Man Versus Horse race To achieve the DofE Gold Award, Carys also had to spend four nights and five days on a residential expedition, which had to be carried out with people she had never previously met. She decided to join a yacht crew and sail from Hayling Island in Plymouth, to Cowes, where she learnt the intricacies of sailing and worked cohesively with her crew. Hand-in-hand with these extreme challenges, Carys was preparing for her A' levels in physics, chemistry, biology and art after achieving 13 A*s and one A in her GCSEs at Ysgol y Preseli in 2023. What makes her accomplishments even more pronounced is the fact that she has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. 'Because I've always loved being outdoors, doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award and training for events like the Man versus Horse endurance race is a perfectly natural thing to do,' Carys told The Herald. 'In many ways, I found travelling up to London and going to Buckingham Palace in smart clothes far more scary. 'Yes, having ASD means that mixing socially with people can sometimes be difficult, so sailing with a crew of people I'd never met before was nerve-wracking. But it was as if I'd known them for years and they made the whole experience so easy. In fact the skipper said that it was one of the closest and most fun groups he'd ever had. 'I loved learning how to sail, and I definitely want to do some sailing races, but because of my A levels, this has had to be put temporarily on my to-do list.' Like so many students as they enter Year 10, Carys promptly signed up for the bronze DofE, choosing music as her skill, (she's a dedicated euphonium player who plays with the Goodwick Senior Brass Band the South Wales Youth Band and the Pembrokeshire Youth Brass Band), horse riding as her physical requirement and litter picking and helping out at Fishguard Cinema for volunteering. 'Watching Carys arrive back from those walking expeditions, when she was doing the bronze and the silver DofE Awards, always made us laugh because there was Carys, skipping or running down the hill, while everyone else was exhausted,' laughed her mother, Sharon Jenkins. 'But this is so typical of her energy levels. Last year she hiked all the way across Wales for her Gold, and now she wants to walk the entire Welsh coastal path for her own personal challenge. 'She really is an incredibly strong person who's achieving so much, but also being so determined to do all these new challenges. Her ASD specialist recently told me that if she hadn't been given the opportunity to take part in all these different things from a very young age, she'd probably be unable to cope with her day to day life.' Meanwhile Carys is preparing for her next academic venture, with a view to studying medicine and forensic pathology. 'I'm still not sure which universities to apply for, but wherever I end up, I'll most definitely be carrying on with my horse riding and sailing,' she said. 'I'm also trying to find out which universities have brass bands in their area. 'The DofE has been a brilliant way for me to expand on interests I already had, as well as giving me the chance to try out new ones, such as sailing. But most importantly, it's helped me see that once I set my mind to achieve something, dedication and determination will always help me succeed.'
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
DofE gave Wellingborough carer 'a reason to leave the house'
A woman who completed the gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) said the scheme gave her a reason to leave the Kemp, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was chosen to speak about her experience at Buckingham 25-year-old said she decided to pursue the award while caring for her father, who had been diagnosed with said the DofE scheme helped her when "we don't have the luxury of choosing what challenges we face". The organisers of the scheme said the event at Buckingham Palace was one of four festival-style celebrations of "young people who have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and resilience" to achieve their gold a stage with the Duke, Prince Edward, and celebrities including chef Jon Watts and comedian Bill Bailey, Ms Kemp said she had applied to do the DofE award just before she reached the age limit. Ms Kemp said: "After I graduated from university, I was caring for my dad three evenings a week. "I enjoyed this quality time, but I knew that if I wanted to take care of my dad the best way I could, I had to take care of myself first. "I needed a community, a hobby, a reason to get out the house - a goal. I took another look at the DofE - given my age, I only had 21 months till I was deemed 'too old'. "Not knowing what the future would look like for our family, I did it anyway." Participants in the gold award scheme have to complete an expedition, and Ms Kemp completed both her practice and qualifying expeditions in Snowdonia at the same said the blisters she got were a "challenge", but "compared to caring for my dad, this felt like a holiday".She also had to complete a volunteering activity, and she decided to set up a Squirrel Scout says the four to six-year-olds who take part "remind me to find joy in the little things".She added that her father loved hearing about the group even after he no longer recognised his Duke of Edinburgh, whose late father began the scheme, said Ms Kemp and the other award winners should be "incredibly proud" and "walk a few inches taller". Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Teenager completes DofE award after learning to walk again
A teenager who had to learn to walk again after undergoing back surgery said completing the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award was the hardest thing she has ever done but it has made her "stronger". Zoe Walastyan from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was recognised for her resilience and determination in a one-to-one exchange with Prince Edward, the award's 18-year-old undertook her bronze, silver and gold medals after being diagnosed with scoliosis aged 11. "I felt like it was something that I could do to prove my worth, to make me who I am today," she said. Zoe said during a routine check up her doctor noticed her back was uneven. Further tests showed she had scoliosis and had "two curvatures of the spine", she said. For the next two years she wore a back brace "day and night, 24 hours a day" but her condition worsened. In 2020, aged 13, she travelled with her family to Germany, for a procedure called vertebral body tethering."Instead of having two rods placed either side of my spine, they placed six little pins into the vertebrae, through the sides of my body."The operation meant she had to learn to walk again. "When I put my feet on the floor it felt so different because I literally grew 6cm (2.3in) instantly - it felt so weird, it felt like I wasn't in my old body, it was a new one."Just a few months later she decided to take part in the bronze DofE Award, which involved volunteering, carrying out a physical activity, learning a skill and undertaking an expedition comprising of camping and walking about 16km (10 miles). "Both of my siblings did DofE, my parents thought it was a good experience and I said 'I'll try it' because I thought it might make me a little bit less scared of the world."It was character development, I needed to prove to myself that I could do it."Going on to complete her silver and gold awards, with each expedition getting longer, "I've seen a change in my confidence, I'm very glad that I did it", she said. Although she remains in a lot of pain, Zoe said she was "a lot more like body confident". She has also had physiotherapy and went to dance classes and the gym to build up her muscles."I'm definitely a lot stronger emotionally and physically because some of the things that happened on DofE."It's probably the hardest thing that I'll ever physically do, so life can't be much harder than."Zoe, who is currently taking her A-level exams, hopes to go to university to study accounting and finance."I'm a very determined person, I just don't want my condition to stop me from being like everyone else," she added. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Scotsman
25-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scotsman
Best Craghoppers gear for your teen's DofE expedition
Hundreds of thousands of young people take part in DofE activities every year | Craghoppers This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Kitting out a teen for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award? Craghoppers is the DofE's official partner and their range combines quality, comfort and value – here are the best bits. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Getting your teen ready for their DofE expedition can be daunting. Between waterproofs, fleeces, boots and breathable layers, the kit list quickly adds up – and not every family has drawers full of technical outdoor gear lying around. That's exactly why the DofE has teamed up with Craghoppers, a trusted British brand that's been designing expedition-ready clothing for over 50 years. They've worked directly with the DofE for more than 15 years, creating affordable, durable and eco-conscious gear that's properly up to the challenge. Vanth Waterproof Jacket | Craghoppers One standout piece is the Vanth Waterproof Jacket, currently reduced from £99 to £69.30. It's made from AquaDry breathable fabric with fully taped seams, a storm-ready hood and a zipped security pocket for essentials. Shop the Vanth Waterproof Jacket here. 🥾 What is the Duke of Edinburgh's Award? The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) is one of the UK's most respected youth development programmes, open to all young people aged 14 to 24. It helps build confidence, character and life skills through a series of structured challenges: volunteering, physical activity, skills development and expeditions – with a residential added at Gold level. 🧗🏽♀️ In 2023–24 alone, more than 330,000 young people started their DofE journey, contributing over 4.7 million hours of volunteering to communities across the UK. The DofE is delivered in schools, colleges, youth groups, hospitals and even prisons, with the charity aiming to give 1.6 million more young people the chance to take part by 2026. For layering, the Tarvos Full Zip Fleeces offer lightweight warmth with reflective details and quick-drying fabric. The women's version in Lunar Grey Marl is now £45.50, down from £65, and the men's in Blue Stone Marl is £52.50, down from £75. Get the women's fleece here and shop the men's version here. Expedition trousers are essential too. The Women's Mimas Trousers are currently £49, down from £70, and are water- and stain-repellent with a comfortable stretch fit. The Men's Brisk Trousers offer similar performance and are now £45.50, reduced from £65. Find the Mimas Trousers here and get the Brisk Trousers here. Men's Charon Short Sleeved T-Shirt | Craghoppers Don't overlook base layers either. The Men's Charon Short-Sleeved T-Shirt is now just £17.50, down from £30. It's breathable and quick-drying – perfect for long days on the trail. Pick up the Charon T-Shirt here. These pieces are designed not only for the expedition weekend, but for everyday use long after the DofE is complete. They're durable, practical and affordable – helping families kit out with confidence. With the right kit from Craghoppers, your teen can head into their DofE adventure well-prepared and ready to make the most of this life-changing experience. Where will you land? Wowcher's £199 beach holiday could take you to the Maldives Not sure where to go on holiday? A new deal from Wowcher could make the decision for you – and potentially save you hundreds. The Mystery Beach Holiday offer includes return flights and hotel accommodation for just £199 per person. You won't know the destination until closer to departure, but options include the Maldives, Mauritius, St. Lucia and several other popular sunshine spots. It's a gamble, but for the price, many see it as a fun and affordable way to book a last-minute escape. Plus, the package covers everything major – you just turn up at the airport.
