Claire collects her gold award from the Duke
A YOUNG woman from Wokingham visited St James’ Palace last week to receive her gold Duke of Edinburgh award.
Former Emmbrook School student Claire Chappell is celebrating after her 18 months of hard work and dedication was rewarded with the highest possible honour for the scheme – and follows in the footsteps of her mother Sharon, who received her gold award 36 years ago from Buckingham Palace.
During the Gold Award Presentation, the Earl of Wessex Prince Edward, congratulated the young people on their successes and heard about their DofE journeys, before Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan handed out the honours.
To receive her gold award, Miss Chappell had to volunteer in the local community, learn a new skill,
CALIFORNIA GARDENER’S CLUB
There were 61 members at the Christmas party on Monday, December 4 evening.
The evening started with music and two quizzes.
One quiz was of pictures hanging on the hall curtains. Partygoers would wander around the hall looking at pictures of famous garden celebrities and guess who they were. Sounds easy?
Not when the picture had been chopped into eight get fit, take part in a weeklong residential course with strangers and plan and undertake an expedition in wild country.
The 20-year-old volunteers at a Special Needs Youth Club in Wokingham, run by Kay Nicker, where they undertake different tasks and challenges every week and twice a year the leaders and volunteers take the special needs young people away for an activity holiday.
Widely acknowledged as the world’s leading achievement award for young people, DofE programmes enable young people aged 14-24 to develop key skills for life and work, such as confidence, commitment and teamwork.
Claire said that she had a great day in London with her Mum and met up with her Dad and older sister for lunch to celebrate afterwards.
pieces and rearranged. So many people scratching their heads saying, “I know that one but the name, the name.”
The Beetle Drive was a great hit with winners of each game moving in one direction and losers in another; a great way of meeting everyone.
Food was ready after the Beetle Drive and another quiz was introduced to the evening.
By 9.30pm, the horse racing began.
The first race was for female jockeys and the second for male. The winner and second place of each race then entered the final. At the beginning of the final two horses ran neck and neck. There was lots of shouting from the crowd but towards the end Stuart Slocombe managed to get ahead and hold it to the finish line.
The answers to the quizzes produced both shouts of joy and moans of disappointment.
Prizes were awarded, and everyone was then invited to join hands to sing Auld Lang Syne.
A big thanks was given to all those who helped the party to be a success.
Because of the fun everyone was having, the party did not finish till 11pm. Merry Christmas everyone.
The next meeting of the California Gardeners’ Club will be on Monday, January 8 at the California ratepayers’ hall in Finchampstead Road.
Iain Tolhurst will be giving a talk about the Tolhurst Organic Partnership. The meeting starts at 8pm and is free to members, £2 for guests.