Silver

In the Silver practice hike my group was made of two friend groups together and on the second day we really got comfortable with each other and at lunch we decided to climb up this little cliff for no reason in particular, we helped each other up and was met with a beautiful view. This simple task that we all decided to do allowed us to interact and talk with no real destination in mind, we spent ages up on the little cliff talking and laughing which was by far the best part of my award experiences, especially when the supervisor came back and was a little confused!

17

Being able to continue on the night of day two going into day three of the Silver Assessed Hike where me and another group member were struggling with injuries and another member had lost the photography phone. We were all tired, in pain and frustrated. Which was not a good mix, however, we continued on and the happiness at the end of the hike was worth it!

Spain

My service that I do with my drama studio; I help our and volunteer as an extra teacher during one the classes a week. I still do that volunteering on a Friday and due to that I now am a paid employee for 2 lessons on a Thursday as well as a helper on extra days!

A few years ago I had a bad netball injury, it put me out of action for ages and caused my knee to be weak. My Practice Duke Of Edinburgh hike was not long after the injury; April to November. I really wanted to not let my group down and do the hike so I spent every weekend up in the nearby mountains training with my father to ensure I was strong enough to complete the hike. On the second day my knee was struggling yet my friends and group members were so supportive and kept a slow steady pace to ensure I wasn’t left behind. I managed to complete the hike and the next day I was back on crutches resting my injury. However, this photo shows where my friends stopped and waited so I wouldn’t fall behind and the point where I realised I could rely on my teammates during my struggles.

Participant