garden party at buckingham palace
July 2006
Yesterday I had the privilege of being asked to
present some awards and say a few words at a
Buckingham Palace garden party to celebrate the Duke
of Edinburgh’s Award 50th anniversary. The event took
place in the presence of The Queen, Prince Philip,
and the Earl & Countess of Wessex. I was one of
50 presenters – including Sir David Jason, Sir Roger
Bannister, Chris Tarrant, Katherine Jenkins and
Linford Christie – assembled to speak to 7500
volunteers, who were representing over 50,000 of
their colleagues.
It was an honour to meet so many people who give up so much of their personal time to help youngsters throughout the UK (a sister scheme, The International Award, operates in dozens of other countries). One gentleman who I presented a certificate to has been working as a volunteer for more than 40 years. When I asked him why he has been so committed to the scheme he explained that he wanted to give something back to society after getting so much out of being a Boy Scout when he was a young man. For me, this selflessness and dedication is what The Award is all about.
It was an honour to meet so many people who give up so much of their personal time to help youngsters throughout the UK (a sister scheme, The International Award, operates in dozens of other countries). One gentleman who I presented a certificate to has been working as a volunteer for more than 40 years. When I asked him why he has been so committed to the scheme he explained that he wanted to give something back to society after getting so much out of being a Boy Scout when he was a young man. For me, this selflessness and dedication is what The Award is all about.