DofE Award Celebrations 2022

24 Testbourne students were presented with Bronze DofE Award certificates and badges by the Mayor of Whitchurch, Councillor Tracy Woodruff, during a celebration evening on Thursday 5^th May.

The students signed up for the DofE Award and began their training in January 2021, with a whole term of online meetings due to lockdown and in-person meetings being against the rules. More than 30 of the original group persevered, completing their training in navigation, First Aid and camping skills, and starting new activities and volunteering outside school as part of the Award.

Working in five teams of 6 or 7 students, they took part in hugely enjoyable expedition weekends in the New Forest in July and September last year, encountering ponies, pigs and cattle, negotiating their way through bogs and succeeding with challenging navigation.

About 75 parents, students and leaders came together to celebrate all their achievements, with photos shown of walks and expeditioning adventures. Many thanks to Cllr Woodruff and Head of School Mrs Sudds for coming along, and to the team of volunteer leaders who give up so much time to work with our students and help them achieve their Awards. A particular thanks to Mrs Brooker who has worked with the DofE Award group for 9 years. Thank you for all your time and dedication Mrs Brooker.