Next week, festival-style celebrations for 12,000 young people will take place in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
he Earl of Wessex will host four celebratory events over two days for new Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award holders – the first time their achievements have been officially recognized since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Edward, trustee of the youth program set up by his late father, the Duke of Edinburgh, is joined by the likes of Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe at Monday’s first celebration.
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Buckingham Palace lawn (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
TV explorer Ben Fogle, actress Nina Wadia and entrepreneur and former Apprenticeship winner Tim Campbell – all of whom are award winners – will be speaking on satellite stages around the garden, among others.
Edward, the Queen’s and Philip’s youngest son, will meet Gold Award winners who have shown creativity, resilience and determination to achieve their awards despite the challenges and restrictions during the Covid-19 crisis.
Buckingham Palace said the special events on May 16 and 20 will see the gardens of the Queen’s official residence “transformed into a festive celebration” with guests having the opportunity “to take part in a range of lawn games and activities “.
At the start of each event, guests are invited to gather around the West Terrace Steps for the national anthem and hear a series of speeches from inspirational individuals and DofE alumni.
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Strictly star Johannes Radebe will join Edward in celebration (Ian West/PA)
More than 330,000 young people worked towards their DofE awards in the first year of the pandemic and volunteered more than 1.8 million hours in their communities, often supporting Covid relief efforts.
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The DofE Self-Development and Adventure Awards program is open to all young people aged 14-24.
Participants build their own program — choosing activities and deciding what cause to volunteer for — to earn a Bronze, Silver, or Gold DoofE award.
Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the Gold Awards ceremony at the Palace in 2020 and 2021 had to be postponed.
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/edwards-festival-style-celebration-in-palace-garden-for-12000-young-people-41639094.html Edward’s “festival-style” celebration in the castle gardens for 12,000 young people