4:00pm Friday 27th January 2012
A group formed to help young people in Trow-bridge pass the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is celebrating a successful first year of operation.
Court Mills Open Award Centre started in January 2011 and 60 of its young people completed their bronze expedition last year.
Between February and May, 49 participants from Court Mills Youth Development Centre and St Augustine’s Catholic College worked together on weekly training sessions, a practice expedition from Westwood to Westbury and a final qualifying expedition held in the Pewsey Vale area.
Then, in August, training sessions started again, with 11 participants from the Bradford on Avon and Melksham Youth Devel-opment Centres and St Augustine’s Catholic College.
These expeditions were also deemed a success.
In order to complete the bronze, silver or gold sections of the awards, those taking part have to spend time volunteering, on physical activity, on a skill and an expedition.
Award participants have to spend at least one hour a week on each activity, which is done in their spare time.
Louise Mills, the awards leader at Court Mills, said: “It’s the number one award for young people in the whole world.
“It’s been going for 55 years now and it was set up to reward young people for what they do in their spare time.
“One thing we try and do is advise them really well, so they end up picking things that they’re really going to enjoy.
“What it offers is that young people show that they can commit to things.
“They will be putting back into society and, for some, it will be the first time they have done that.”
She added: “It’s really well respected by employers and colleges and universities.”
Court Mills Open Award Centre will be running both Bronze and Silver Award expeditions in 2012 and is enrolling new participants at the moment.
For more information, call Louise Mills on 07824 596885 or email her at louise.mills@wiltshire.
gov.uk.
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