COASTAL FEATURES ID GUIDE

Baroness Grey-Thompson won 16 medals over five Paralympic Games. Now chair of trustees for the DofE, she’s challenging young people to believe in themselves

How to identify tombolos, spits and bars.

Q. What is The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE)?

The DofE is a unique opportunity for young people to challenge themselves by learning a new skill, taking on a physical activity, volunteering and completing an expedition. Since it was set up by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh 65 years ago, 6.7 million young people have taken part.

Q. When did you first get involved with the DofE?

When I was competing, I was invited by the DofE to be a Gold Award presenter at St James’s Palace. My sister completed her award and I knew many people who had done it. I became a trustee about six years ago and was really proud when I was selected to be the chair.

Q. What is your favourite DofE memory?

On a personal level, seeing how much my sister developed doing her DofE and my daughter doing her award. On my daughter’s expedition, her group dropped their pasta in the grass and had to scoop it up and eat it! They found it hard, but they also laughed so much when they told me. But also, my memories of all the young people who have told me about their ups and downs with so much passion and emotion.

Q. Why is 2021 a poignant year for the DofE and what’s new? The passing of our patron and founder HRH The Duke of Edinburgh this year was incredibly sad. The DofE has never been more needed as we emerge from lockdown, and we will continue to celebrate his legacy through our work. We’re committed to reaching a million more young people in the UK over the next five years, and have launched Do It 4 Youth, an exciting fundraising challenge for people of all ages. You complete four sponsored challenges over four weeks (such as swimming or volunteering) before the end of September. Every penny raised will help young people from the toughest backgrounds do their DofE.

Q. How can people get involved with the DofE?

If you’re aged between 13 and 24, you can sign up to begin DofE – just ask your school, college or youth group if they run it. dofe.org/doit4youth