The numbers are in for The Duke of Edinburgh Award 2023 and it is a record breaking year. Nationally, numbers of young people taking part are up 10% on last year.
The award, set up by His late Majesty Prince Phillip, is a fantastic initiative. Not only does it challenge young people to attain standards of achievement and in a wide variety of active interests but it helps them to develop and learn outside the classroom.
It is also brilliant for the local communities, who get huge numbers of volunteers. Nationally, young people’s volunteering hours soared to more than 3.5 million – equivalent to £17 million in paid working hours.
Of the 537,759 young people worked towards their Award during the year, 59 were from North West Durham's Parkside Academy. I would like to congratulate each and every child from there who took part.