to feel a bit 😔 that I will never achieve a...

[Catsize]

Duke of Edinburgh gold award.

Or any DofE for that matter.

It all kind of passed me by in that pre-internet age but I would have loved it.

Just been watching my niece's video highlights of her bronze award and thought 'Sod it, I'll do it if I'm still allowed'.

Looked it up online and the cut off is 25. 14 years too late.

How will my life ever be complete?!

My eldest DS signed up for Dof E at school. Despite never attending a session he has been called up to receive a cetificate every year since.
I will send you one.

Gosh I'm out of tune! I thought it was going to say an orgasm! Moving on...

Gosh yes... except I'm probably past being able to do what DD did (3 nights wild camping in scotland, ~20km per day carrying 15kg rucksack (she and I are only 5'1") eating vast amounts of junk food.(ah, now some of you really want to do it).

Really Fifi? That is very sad. And wrong.

They have to get their log books signed off for the skills and volunteering, seems unlikely the school would be falsifying...

I'm totally in. For the camping and gin imbibing!

Okay, so there is actually a map of all gin distilleries in the UK!!!

I am tempted, in honour of MN, to walk from the world's oldest distillery to another one.

23 miles.

I did through till silver. Never knew what it was for as a teen tbh

Duke of Edinburgh Diamond Challenge Open to everyone.

Walking between gin distilleries is a great idea. There's one that has the same name as my last name. I could walk there, but it's over a hundred miles away, so maybe not.

I don't actually like gin but would totally donate to a giving page in honour of you doing that walk. MN HQ should sponsor you to as its their fault you all bloody have gin addictions.
Pick a cause and do the walk and post the just giving page!!

I remember doing d of e at school. I did all the volunteering and skill stuff (which all had to be tediously documented), then on the expedition I twisted my ankle on day one so had to be taken home by dad and never got the award....

I never completed Gold Final, and both my siblings completed all tasks for Gold except for handing in their Log Book. The DM was very pissed off she never got to go to the Palace.

Yes, to the PP who asked t was very much sold at school as attractive on a UCAS form and also in terms of getting part time work whilst in 6th form. It was huge at my school and was considered a strong programme locally.

Two people I knew got Saturday jobs from what they chose as "Service"

what about this?
Sam Heughan set it up ......what other motivation do you need??

Meh. I got the bronze award. Never escalated me to the dizzying heights of career success I imagined it would.

However, I am always sure to put my Blue Peter Badge on any CV I hand in. That shit commands respect...

nerd alert I've got my bronze, silver and gold . I wasn't really that arsed about doing my gold but my mum really wanted to go to the Palace so I did it for her. She still goes on about it to this day! For gold you have to do a residential as well as your 4 day expedition. I fundraised and went to Ecuador and volunteered in a school for a month over summer. Glad I did it now even if noone appreciates it on my CV!

I did all three awards. I had an interview at M&S when I started Uni - the only thing we talked about was my DofE. I got the job so DofE worked for me and wasn't just on my UCAS forms. Achieving the awards tells employers so much about you.

My DD will be doing it when she is older - I am a trainer, supervisor and assessor now and she comes out on weekends with me. She loves it! I haven't told her that I won't be making bacon sarnies or feeding her fish and chips when she does it though!!

God, it's a different world for children these days isn't it.

I'm ... ahem ... nearly 50 and when I was young (teenager/20s) I'd never heard of DofE Award or University of Grammar School or any of the privilaged things that people on here go on about now. It just wasn't on my radar coming from a former pit town in the Midlands. My parents' aspirations for me didn't go beyond factory work and marriage even though I was in the highest stream in my year.

I see all these opportunites that young people have now and look on whistfully and then remember the people who don't even have what I have.

Yes to the Mumsnet Gin Award!

DS1 (age 14) starts this next week. He finished Cubs and Scouts and wasn't keen on Explorers so he is really looking forward to beginning it.

Op - sorry you didn't get to do it.

Have a 🏆 anyway

butterflies, that is awful. I can sense your pain to this day.

ratbag, yes please! Need to finalise plans...

Work has got in the way of planning today.

MNHQ, feel free to do as ratbag suggests.

Verbena, I am afraid that the DofE is the only way to go for me.

Bump, I am kind of in awe... Please set up a wrinkly version for those of us who weren't given the opportunity when younger and who will be too late to participate in the 2016 Diamond Challenge.

If people genuinely want to join me on a gin fest walk for pure charitable purpose and personal enlightenment, please PM me.

In the North-West btw.