NEARLY 50 Hampshire young people celebrated golden success at the Great Hall in Winchester.

The group attended a special ceremony to receive their Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant, Nigel Atkinson, who is also the President of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the county.

At the ceremony each received a certificate of appreciation.

Challenges participants took on included camping in Snowdonia, canoeing in Scotland, adventures to China and Morocco, as well as volunteering and crewing tall ships.

The Lord-Lieutenant said: “These young people have demonstrated a huge amount of commitment and determination to gain this very prestigious award, and they can be very proud of their achievement.

“I know they will all have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge too. As there is a real need for leaders to train the next generation of young participants, I would urge them to continue their good work and enjoyment by offering their time and skills as volunteers for the DofE scheme.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, starting in the 1950s, requires participants to spend time volunteering, learning or improving a skill, taking part in a physical activity, and undertaking an expedition.

To achieve a Gold Award, a young person will typically give 50 hours of volunteering, spend a total of 18 months on the skill and physical activities, and undertake a four-day ‘wild country’ expedition.

Cllr Keith Mans, leader of Hampshire County Council, said: “I congratulate the young people on their Gold Awards - that is a great achievement.

“The Duke of Edinburgh Awards offer young people wonderful opportunities to learn new skills, meet others and learn from experiences which will stand them in good stead as they progress through their lives.”

As well as the formal ceremony, the audience was entertained by Wilf McKenzie from Hampshire Music Service performing welcoming background music, and heard from Rosie May Johnson from Farnborough College about her residential stay in Morocco.