News, Events & Enrichment

Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and 70th Anniversary Celebration

Buckingham Palace Garden, 20th May 

Multiple ticket checks, photo ID scrutiny, body scans and a slightly nervous nod to the heavily armed security team… and we were inside Buckingham Palace Garden! 

Two of our Clyst Vale Post 16 alumni, Lewis and Joel, had been invited (with guests) to a royal event to celebrate achieving their Gold DofE award. 2026 happens to be the 70th anniversary of the charity, making this year even more special than usual. 

Once inside, we were able to freely explore the beautiful grounds and visit satellite stages, where a carousel of talks took place: we stopped to listen to BAFTA award winner Gareth Malone of BBC’s The Choir, who was funny and incredibly engaging. 

The tea tent was an obvious highlight, with a range of truly delicious cupcakes - and gratifyingly good tea, served in commemorative souvenir mugs. 

Following a blast of the National Anthem, the Duke of Edinburgh addressed the event at 4.30pm, which unfortunately coincided with the only raincloud over the UK springing into action at that exact moment.  This seemed very appropriately British, however, with synchronised umbrella opening throughout the audience. 

There were plenty of photo opportunities, not least when the Duke of Edinburgh circulated through the garden, chatting with award holders, meeting DofE leaders and thanking the conductor of the brass band – which had added to the fun atmosphere throughout, with crowd-pleasing pieces, such as the Star Wars theme. 

The whole afternoon felt like a really fitting acknowledgement of all of the hard work, sweat and determination that goes into achieving a Gold Award, an accomplishment that deserves this proper recognition. 

“It really was a once in a lifetime experience to explore the grounds of Buckingham Palace and see the Duke of Edinburgh in person, despite the intermittent rain! The guest speakers were very inspiring - and the free cake was a bonus.” - Lewis 

With extra special thanks to Michelle Barratt, Chris Eales and Graeme Robb - who really put in those shifts to make Gold D of E happen for Clyst Vale’s students. Your commitment to this brilliant programme is sincerely appreciated. Thank you.