The Eleven young people are all members of the Cheesy Waffles group, part of the Mid Durham Projects Club run by Durham County Council’s One Point service, and have been working towards the prestigious award for the last three years.
Erika Denholm, One Point Lead Youth Worker, said: “I am so proud of this group of young people, they have all worked so hard and given 100% commitment and dedication. Some of our group members are disabled and it hasn’t been an easy set of challenges but they were all determined they would get their Gold Awards.”
As part of the work towards the award, participants must complete challenges under the following categories: skill, physical, residential, volunteering and expedition. These included a local history project to create a guide book about local attractions, taking part in sports and dance classes, spending five days in Kielder completing dry stone walling, forest conservation work and team games, where they met other disabled young people from across the country who they worked alongside over the residential.
Under the volunteering challenge, the group planned and delivered activities for a junior youth club and holiday programme, fundraised for different local charities, undertook community work including the painting of a local community centre, made sensory pots for a primary school, gifts for the elderly, and went litter picking.
As part of the expedition section, the group spent four days in Weardale exploring farm life, reservoirs, villages and the Waskerley Way.
After completing all the categories, the group received their Gold Award badges from the Chairman of Durham County Council Jan Blakey before making the trip to London to receive their Gold Award Certificates from HRH Prince Philip.
For more information about Durham County Council’s One Point service please visit: http://www.durham.gov.uk/onepoint