AN intrepid student has enjoyed a golden moment after completing an internationally recognised challenge.
Northallerton School and Sixth Form College student Emily Crisp, 18, was presented with her gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at a ceremony held at Buckingham Palace.
The A-Level student, of Northallerton, received her honour from Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, a trustee for the awards, alongside Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and Princess Beatrice of York.
“The palace was incredible and it was a great honour to receive my award from Prince Edward,” said Emily.
“I originally found out about the scheme through the Northallerton Army Cadets and completed my bronze award in 2014, my silver in 2015 and finally the gold award in 2017.
“I’ve always enjoyed expeditions, being outdoors, meeting new people and visiting new places so the challenge was ideal for me.”
Her gold challenge involved trekking and camping in Bavaria and skiing in Canada. “It was a lot of hard work and a very long journey but the award made it all worthwhile – it’s been a real life achievement,” she said.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award takes each participant between 12 and 18 months to complete, those who achieve a Gold Award have to volunteer, learn a skill, get fit, take part in a residential trip and undertake an expedition in wild country.
They learn skills including leadership, perseverance, team work and communication through a variety of challenges.
Emily, who completed her A-Levels in business, geography and PE, is currently deciding between applying to university or following in her father’s footsteps with a career in the Army.
“I would highly recommend the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award challenge to anyone,” added Emily.
“It’s a fantastic experience, you become very self-reliant, learn the importance of teamwork and it gives you a great skill base to build on in the future.”