Gold Star for Duke of Edinburgh Award Girls

Last week, in the cold and rainy Lammermuir Hills, five S6 students successfully completed their training expedition for their Gold level Duke of Edinburgh Award. 

Five girls all in their final year at Preston Lodge, have worked very hard since S3 to complete their Bronze and Silver awards. Between them, they have amassed hundreds of hours volunteering in community activities, learning and perfecting new skills and ensuring their physical fitness is in tiptop form. They have also planned and completed a training expedition, and an assessed expedition for each level of award. Entering the final stages of our senior phase, many students find the commitment and time constraints of juggling study, part-time jobs, driving lessons and home life too demanding to continue on to Gold, and are happy to finish their DofE journey at Silver – which in itself is a wonderful achievement! 

Up until a few weeks ago, it was thought that these girls were happy to do the same. But no! With a gentle knock at my door and a few minutes chat, they talked themselves into continuing, and signed up for the challenge of Gold. 

Our dilemma was how to get the students out for their training expedition before the Duke of Edinburgh October cut-off time, so that the 4 days hiking/3 nights camping activity did not clash or interfere with prelims and SQA exams next year. Working quickly and smartly, we came up with an expedition from Lauder in the Scottish Borders across to Dunbar on the coast. This route was mainly following the old Herring Road, on which fisherwomen in the 17th and 18th century would haul fish, landed in Dunbar, to the markets in Lauder and other Border towns. Spanning a distance of approximately 50 km, and a vertical gain of over 1 km, this route was the perfect challenge for their training experience. Nestled in the Lammermuir hills, the group were set navigation challenges, including compass work, first aid and other emergency ‘what if’ scenarios. 

The five students worked so well as a team to support each other, and were completely resilient in the face of heavy rain and a chilling wind for most of the time. During this expedition, we also discussed their assessed expedition, which they hope to complete during the first week in June, once SQA exams are finished. They are now in the early stages of planning a hike along the Great Glen Way from Fort William to at least Fort Augustus. They are hoping for nicer weather.