FORMER Uffculme School and Richard Huish College, Taunton, student Cheyenne Jordan has attended a presentation at St James’s Palace, London, where she received her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award from celebrity presenter Major David Love.

During the presentation, the Earl of Wessex Prince Edward congratulated the young people on their successes and heard about their DofE journeys, which took each young person 12-18 months of hard work and dedication.

Those who achieve a Gold DofE Award will volunteer, learn a skill, get fit, take part in a week-long residential and plan and undertake an expedition in wild country. Widely acknowledged as the world’s leading achievement award for young people, DofE programmes enable any young person aged 14-24 to develop key skills for life and work, such as confidence, commitment and team working.

Cheyenne, who lives in Hemyock, is now in her second year at Manchester University studying for a BA in Economics

Cheyenne said: “Completing my Gold DofE award was one of the best investments of my time and energy of my life so far. Not only did I refine and improve my choral skills, walk across moors, volunteer in a charity shop but I made new friends in my local area through my badminton club.”

More than 400,000 young people are taking part in a DofE programme across the UK through a variety of centres including both state and independent schools, special schools, businesses, prisons, young offender institutions and youth groups.

To find out more about the DofE and how it enables young people to succeed, visit www.DofE.org