Famous faces share their DofE Award memories in celebration of their 70th anniversary

Anyone with a connection to The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is being invited to celebrate the charity's 70th anniversary by sharing their fondest DofE memories.

Article Source: Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Last Updated: 5 January 2026 11:19

Anyone with a connection to The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is being invited to celebrate the charity’s 70th anniversary by joining the likes of Hayley McQueen and Dame Kelly Holmes in sharing their fondest DofE memories at DofE.org/your-story.

Through these shared experiences, the DofE charity is celebrating the millions of remarkable young people who have transformed their lives and the communities around them through DofE, and the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who make DofE experiences possible — whilst inspiring other young people to start a DofE journey of their own.

Since its conception in 1956, the DofE reaches 15.5 million young people globally1, with over 8.5 million young people having started a DofE Award in the UK – enough people to fill Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium 127 times. In 2024/25, 33,816 young people actively took part in the DofE in Scotland, with 20,363 young people starting their DofE. Participants contributed an incredible 351,156 hours of volunteering in Scotland – with an estimated total value of £2.2 million.

TV sports presenter and Bronze DofE Award holder, Hayley McQueen, who has already shared her memory on the charity’s new website, fondly reminisces about how her DofE experience set her up for challenges ahead. Hayley said: “Doing my DofE at St Columba’s school in Kilmacolm, Scotland, remains one of the most memorable experiences of my teenage years. I can still picture myself trudging through the Scottish countryside with plenty of tablet to hand, carrying a heavy rucksack and feeling both tired and exhilarated. There was of course unpredictable weather, including a lot of rain and those dreaded midgies. But what made the experience so special was the team spirit we developed along the way.

“In the middle of my school years, I moved to England. It came at an awkward age and fitting into a new environment was daunting. But my DofE experience had prepared me for the challenge. I had learned resilience from long days of hiking, when things didn’t go to plan but we carried on anyway. I had learned the value of relying on others, and of allowing them to rely on me. Most importantly, I had discovered that I could push myself into unfamiliar situations and not only cope, but thrive. DofE was a turning point in building my independence and shaping how I approached challenges in life. I’m grateful for the skills I learned, and the resilience and confidence it gave me.”

As a lifelong advocate for young people, HRH Prince Philip established The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in 1956 for the “balanced development” of young people’s character. The DofE charity has been equipping and empowering millions of young people from all communities to build the skills, confidence, and resilience they need to make the most out of life, ever since.

Razan Al Zain, a 17-year-old student at Kemnay Academy, Aberdeenshire, took on her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award just over a year ago. After arriving in Scotland from Syria in 2018, Razan wanted to challenge herself and grow in confidence. Razan said: “DofE helped me to try new things and take myself out of my comfort zone. Volunteering at Barnardo’s in Inverurie every Saturday gave me a taste of working life and helped me meet new people. For my Skills section I wanted to explore my Syrian heritage by cooking traditional Syrian dishes – sharing these with friends made me really happy. I learned to stay focused by taking things step by step during my expedition in Fochabers. Teamwork made the journey easier and more enjoyable. You achieve more than just walking – you grow, help others, and learn new skills.”

Over the last 70 years:

• Over 8,539,000 young people have started a DofE Award in the UK — that’s enough people to fill Scotland’s Murrayfield Stadium 127 times2.

• Globally, the DofE reaches 15.5 million young people across 139 countries and territories, with 1.2million 14–24-year-olds actively participating in the last year alone.

• Over 2,537,000 young people in the UK have achieved a Bronze Award, over 886,000 Silver, and over 353,000 Gold DofE Award since 19562.

• After the first year, 7,000 boys had started a DofE programme and 1,000 Awards had been achieved. Jump to the year 2024-25 and more than 342,000 young people started their DofE with 166,592 Award levels being achieved.

• Driving and maintenance of cars, bicycles and scooters, dress making and rifle shooting, were the most popular activities in the 1960s3 with cooking, playing a musical instrument and learning a language being the most popular today — skills that continue to set young people up for life and work.

In celebration of its 70th year, the DofE charity has today released never-before-seen items from its archive, including HRH Prince Philip’s annotated draft speech for his segment in ‘The Way Ahead’ — the first DofE promotional film, released in 1958. Prince Philip highlights how the pilot “scheme” for boys is designed “to show how you can spend your leisure time, how you can help your fellow citizens and above all, what you can achieve if you set your mind to it5.

John Green, 85, from London, who was one of the first boys to achieve his DofE, took part in the late Prince Philip’s pilot DofE programme in the 1950s and was among the first boys to receive their Gold Award from HRH Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace on 4th June 1958; a handwritten letter to Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick ‘Boy’ Browning, Treasurer to HRH Prince Philip, from Sir John Hunt – the Award’s first Director – about receiving the first Gold Award holders at Buckingham Palace, has also been released by the DofE charity today.

John, who grew up in Silvertown and now lives near Southbank, was introduced to the DofE at Fairbairn House Boys Club, where he went to box. Going straight to his Silver DofE where he did photography, first aid, and athletics for his sectional activities, and explored the South Downs for his expedition, he saw it as an opportunity to escape post war East London and to build a better life for himself.

Sharing his story to mark the charity’s 70th year, John said: “It was important to do The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award because it gave young people like myself the opportunity to do something that we weren't encouraged to do at home or school. No one can imagine what life was like then. Thanks to The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, I turned out okay and didn’t do too badly; it was all down to that.”

John went on to achieve his Gold Award, continuing with the same sectional activities but doing his expedition on the Brecon Beacons and had the pleasure of meeting HRH Prince Philip alongside Sir John Hunt during a practice expedition. Commenting on his expedition experiences, John said: “For many months we used to go to the Brecon Beacons. Twice Prince Philip and Sir John Hunt came out which was amazing. They were both such great guys. They were lovely. They asked us if we were finding it difficult and they were just so very encouraging. At the time I couldn’t believe we were standing there, you know, talking to Prince Philip.”

Paralympic icon and DofE Chair of Trustees, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE - whose daughter, Carys, achieved her Gold Award last year, said: “In seven decades of the DofE charity, we’ve learnt that there’s no limit to what young people can achieve when they are given the right opportunities; even when external circumstances are tough. Our Founder HRH Prince Philip once said, ‘There is more in you than you might think’ and the DofE helps young people realise this. As we celebrate 70 years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, we’re recognising DofE participants past and present, and the incredible volunteers who make their journey possible — we’d love anyone with a connection to the charity to celebrate with us by sharing their memories on DofE.org.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity is as committed now as it was 70 years ago to supporting young people’s development. Tanni continues: “This anniversary isn’t just about reminiscing; it’s a chance to look ahead. With the disruption of the last few years hugely impacting young people’s mental health, education and job opportunities, going forward, we will continue to strengthen community connections, build essential skills that set young people up for life and work — and in partnership with our incredible supporters and fundraisers, we’ll work even harder to ensure every young person who wants to, can take part in a life-changing DofE experience.”

The DofE charity reaches over 570,000 young people each year in the UK, through a broad and dedicated community of volunteers and partner organisations, including schools, youth groups, colleges, businesses, young offender institutions, hospitals, fostering agencies and more.

Celebrate the DofE charity’s 70th anniversary by sharing a DofE story at www.DofE.org/your-story, taking on a fundraising challenge, or by doing the DofE.

Got a story to share? Send us an email at hello[@]whatsonnetwork.co.uk

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Famous faces share their DofE Award memories in celebration of their 70th anniversary

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