DofE award 'gave me a reason to leave the house'

A woman who completed the gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE) said the scheme gave her a reason to leave the house.

Charlotte Kemp, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was chosen to speak about her experience at Buckingham Palace.

The 25-year-old said she decided to pursue the award while caring for her father, who had been diagnosed with dementia.

She said the DofE scheme helped her when "we don't have the luxury of choosing what challenges we face".

The organisers of the scheme said the event at Buckingham Palace was one of four festival-style celebrations of "young people who have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and resilience" to achieve their gold award.

Sharing a stage with the Duke, Prince Edward, and celebrities including chef Jon Watts and comedian Bill Bailey, Ms Kemp said she had applied to do the DofE award just before she reached the age limit.

Ms Kemp said: "After I graduated from university, I was caring for my dad three evenings a week.

"I enjoyed this quality time, but I knew that if I wanted to take care of my dad the best way I could, I had to take care of myself first.

"I needed a community, a hobby, a reason to get out the house - a goal. I took another look at the DofE - given my age, I only had 21 months till I was deemed 'too old'.

"Not knowing what the future would look like for our family, I did it anyway."

Participants in the gold award scheme have to complete an expedition, and Ms Kemp completed both her practice and qualifying expeditions in Snowdonia at the same time.

She said the blisters she got were a "challenge", but "compared to caring for my dad, this felt like a holiday".

She also had to complete a volunteering activity, and she decided to set up a Squirrel Scout group.

She says the four to six-year-olds who take part "remind me to find joy in the little things".

She added that her father loved hearing about the group even after he no longer recognised his daughter.

The Duke of Edinburgh, whose late father began the scheme, said Ms Kemp and the other award winners should be "incredibly proud" and "walk a few inches taller".

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