A VERY ROYAL CELEBRATION: HNC CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
05.06.2026HNC’s Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) students have recently spent the day at Buckingham Palace to celebrate achieving their gold awards, joining 9000 other young people from across the country who have also completed their award, as well as taking part in a special event to celebrate 70 years of the DofE programme.
The DofE programme is a nationally recognised initiative that aims to develop skills and confidence in young people aged 14-24 whilst providing an opportunity to give back to their communities. The award, which has been taking place now for 70 years looks to develop young people’s skills outside of their studies, with those taking part completing activities which see them learn new skills, volunteer and take part in expeditions.
HNC offers students studying at the College an opportunity to undertake the Gold award under an experienced and passionate team of mentors. The Gold award is nationally recognised and welcomed by employers and universities alike, as the skills and confidence it builds in those who complete the programme genuinely support progression and helps students to stand out from the crowd. Year on year more and more young people invest in their future selves by undertaking DofE gold.
On the day, those invited enjoyed a special carnival themed garden party, and also had the opportunity to hear from HRH, The Duke of Edinburgh, who completed his own DofE Gold Award 40 years ago. Joe Norton, Head of Faculty (Enrich) who also attended the day shares more: “I am incredibly proud of our students who have achieved the DofE Gold Award – it is a genuinely rewarding programme that challenged students to become their best selves. Celebrating this incredible achievement at Buckingham Palace during the Award’s 70th anniversary celebrations was a truly special moment and we can’t wait to see more of our young people achieving their DofE gold award, and in doing so developing hugely valuable life skills and attributes ranging from resilience and creativity to teamwork and problem solving skills”.
A gallery of images from the day can be found below.
Our current cohort of DofE students will soon be heading out to practise for their final expeditions and we would like to take this opportunity to wish them the best of luck! Joining HNC this September? DofE Gold is just one of the many enrichments on offer to you and you’ll be able to find out more at Hudd Fest, our welcome event for new students.
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