DofE Students Go for Gold!

Sixth Form Duke of Edinburgh students embarked on their Gold Expedition to the Lake District National Park from Friday 20th October to Tuesday 24th October in order to achieve their DofE Gold Award. The Duke of Edinburgh scheme allows students to develop their initiative and spirit of adventure and discovery by taking steps such as planning and training for self-sufficient journeys as a team. 

 Before setting off on their assessment, the students met regularly with Outdoor Education and DofE Manager, Isaac Walker, in order to plan and discuss the upcoming assessment. Planning included goals the team wanted to achieve, their choice of a challenging environment, the daily activities during the assessment, and expedition menus with cooking plans. 

 The Gold assessment consisted of four days, three nights away camping with eight hours of planned activity each day. The daily activities included hiking through the hills and mountains and undertaking their own individual projects.  The groups’ nights were split between commercial campsites and ‘wild’ campsites with limited facilities, giving everyone a taste of the real outdoors! DofE participant, Felicity (Upper Sixth) spoke of her experience. “The toughest part of DofE for me would be the mental push, especially when facing a huge incline and knowing you can’t stop – but it is so rewarding after, looking down on the challenge you have overcome. The most enjoyable part would have to be the wild camping. The Lake District was such a beautiful place and waking up surrounded by mountains and lakes was such an enjoyable experience. If you’re considering taking part in DofE at Leighton Park I would say, go for it. For someone like myself who went straight to Gold – I did find it a challenge at first, but the experiences and skills I have gained from it have been so valuable and applicable to everyday life.”  Similarly, Charlotte (Upper Sixth) and Max (Upper Sixth) explained “We had some tough, cold nights and steep climbs over the weekend, which made it a challenge to keep spirits high, but it only strengthened the bonds between the group as we encouraged each other to keep going… It is a highly valuable experience, and not only do you learn more about your teammates throughout the journey, but you also learn a lot about yourself and who you are as a person. Additionally, the skill aspect of the course allows you to obtain lifelong skills that can be used at any point in the future”.