It is for his awards scheme I will remember the duke
Have you ever found yourself contemplating how you will be remembered when you are gone? I’ve often ended up lost in thoughts about whether my funeral would be a ‘sell out’. But I doubt many of us will manage to leave behind a legacy quite like Prince Philip has with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Once I was over the initial shock of the announcement of his death, my mind turned straight to thoughts of that incredible scheme.
I remember being excited at the prospect of doing the award for a couple of years before I could actually sign up.
Why I was anticipating it so far in advance I can’t seem to remember, perhaps some of the older kids in my Scout group had talked about it.
But whatever the reason, I was extremely excited to take part in the award and it more than lived up to my expectations.
It ended up being two pivotal years of my life and left me with lasting memories.
Perhaps the stand out being during my Silver expedition, when we realised that instead of buying proper supplies we’d actually stocked up on just plain Korma sauce, hilariously leaving us to survive sauce and rice for days on end.
Or the time during the Bronze expedition when we spotted another group of youngsters, also seemingly doing the award, trying to light a camp stove inside their tent.
It also led me to taking up a role as a junior Cub Scout leader as part of the volunteering section of the programme, which was an equally important moment in my teenage years.
Not being able to take part in the Gold award, because my school didn't offer it unfortunately, remains a deep regret. Especially now that any chance of meeting the duke himself is gone.
From the outpouring of memories about the DoE Award shared by others online, it seems I am not alone in cherishing my time in the programme.
And that is a truly impressive legacy to leave behind.
So this is how I will end up remembering Philip over the coming week of national mourning, through the lens of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.