Girl in a classroom at Prep Class At St Mary's Colchester in Essex

Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Evening 2019

25 October 2019

After completing demanding weekend expeditions and a variety of physical, skill and volunteering challenges, 69 Year 10 and 11 girls received their Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze and Silver Awards on 24 October 2019 at a celebratory Awards Evening.

Several of the girls were interviewed about their experiences and there were heart-warming reports of girls conducting the volunteering section of the award. Some of the girls gave presentations on expedition-related themes; kit (what to pack in your rucksack), food (what is – and is not! – suitable expedition food) and general expedition top tips. We also saw expedition video diaries from the groups. That gave a great insight into the highs and lows of the girls’ weekend hiking and canoeing adventures!

In total, the St Mary’s girls on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme spent in excess of 1200 hours volunteering. This was highlighted when Year 11 student Lottie spoke of her volunteering activity. She spent one hour a week for 24 weeks making bunting to raffle on the night. Over £160 was raised for the Toilet Twinning initiative which helps fund projects in poor communities, enabling families to build a basic toilet, have access to clean water and learn about hygiene. Lottie will be donating enough money for three toilets!

This is the eleventh year that we have run the Award Scheme and once again it was a delight to share these achievements with parents and staff.

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