Thame Young People Going For Gold

FORTY Oxfordshire young people, including three from Lord Williams’s school, Thame, will be presented with the Gold Duke of Edinburgh?s Award at a special ceremony tomorrow.
James Hultman, from Chinnor, Matthew Lamb, who now lives in Aylesbury and Emma Turnbull of Long Crendon, have all taken part in a wide range of activities including sports, four-day expeditions, work in the community and residential projects in the UK and overseas.
Unfortunately, Matthew will not be collecting his award in person tomorrow night, as he has had to return to university where he is studying Architecture but he told ThameNews.Net about some of the activities he took part in to achieve his award.
As part of the Service section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, he was one of the first to act as a mentor to year seven pupils coming up to Lord Williams’s school from primary school, helping them with social or academic concerns that they may not wish to talk to a teacher about.
Matthew challenged himself to improve his fitness levels so well during gthe Physical recreation section that he now feels ready to take part in this year’s London Marathon.
He said that the highlight of his Expedition section, to Zambia and Botswan, was a trek in the Tsodilo Hills, the site of the famous ancient rock paintings. During this week-long trek, Matthew was able to show his leadership skills by taking charge of the 14-strong team.

The Vice Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Malcolm Cochrane, will make the presentations at Wychwood School, Banbury Road, Oxford tomorrow, Thursday, January 4, at 7.30pm.
The number of young people participating in the Award in Oxfordshire increased by 50 per cent during the last two years. 555 Bronze Awards, 217 Silver Awards and 77 Gold Awards were achieved in 2006.

The Award programme is delivered mainly as an extra-curricular activity in mainstream schools. Recently, there has been increased involvement by youth centres, community groups and among young people who may be at risk of exclusion.
The Duke of Edinburgh?s Award in Oxfordshire is delivered through a partnership between the county council and Amey plc.
Maggie Willis, County Co-ordinator for the Award said: “Our congratulations go to these young people who have successfully completed a unique challenge demonstrating responsibility, self reliance and perseverance.
“We greatly appreciate Amey?s involvement and the continued support of many dedicated volunteers who provide opportunities for young people.”
Keith Sexton, Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Director at Amey said: “We are proud to continue to support The Duke of Edinburgh?s Award and help young people prepare for their working lives. We can see tangible evidence of the effects of our involvement in improving the chances of many young people.
“I would like to congratulate all those who achieved Gold Award and wish them every success in the future.”

Photo: Matthew Lamb during a field trip to Chicago with the University of Nottingham, as part of his Residential section of the Duke of Edinburgh Award challenge.