Last Friday a group of Tormead alumnae were invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate achieving their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. For the DofE award, we had to complete a year of weekly volunteering, learning a new skill and engaging in physical activity as well as a residential trip and a 4-day expedition. It was an emotional roller-coaster at times, but we definitely learnt some life lessons – such as bring spare socks, curry paste is too spicy on its own and to keep smiling through the tough times!

Walking through the famous gates in our best dress, we were welcomed into the palace gardens. We enjoyed a cup of tea and a fabulous selection of cupcakes. The toffee crunch was to die for! We had fun exploring the grounds and listening to the military bands playing an array of songs including the crowd favourite: ABBA. Even the very British rain could not dampen the mood.

At midday we all congregated on the grass to hear from the Duke of Edinburgh himself, Prince Edward, who offered his congratulations. Other speakers throughout the day included a fellow gold award winner, a BBC broadcaster and a GB hockey player. As keen sportswomen, we were very excited when Jill Scott gave her words of wisdom, and we could not miss the opportunity to meet her. Having made our way to the front we were delighted to have a picture and she was kind enough to give Tormead a shout out on Instagram.

It was a lovely way to celebrate our hard work and commitment to the award and was a brilliant day reuniting with all our Tormead friends and their families. We look forward to similar chances to catch up in the future.

Ellen and Evie