Shree Panchal Gnati Mandal UK

In the spirit of celebrating good news and achievements within our community, Jignesh Panchal from Peterborough, tells us about his recent Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.  It certainly sounds like Jignesh put in a lot of hard work - especially during his time working with the orphanage in India and on his expedition. Well done Jignesh!

In August 2008, I signed up to the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award scheme which was being run through my school. As a direct entrant in to Gold Award (without completing the bronze or silver), I had to do carry out one of my activities for 18 months, rather than the standard 12 months.

Firstly, the group undertook a first aid course, which we all passed. There are five main elements to the Gold Award: Service, Skills, Sport, Residential and Expedition.

Service - This is a voluntary contribution to the local community. The activity I chose was to volunteer at Sue Ryder Care every Saturday morning. I did this for 18 months, and very much enjoyed it.

Skills - I was learning to drive at the same time as doing the other parts of the award and so I incorporated it into one. I passed my test after around 20 hours of tuition, approximately 6 months. I was still at school at the time, so finding time to do everything at once was sometimes a little tricky!
Sport - For this part, I decided to go jogging for 30 minutes around 3 times a week. I also played cricket for the local men's team.

Residential - This part of the award requires you to stay away from home for about 4-5 days in which you are contributing to the community. I went to India to do mine, where I helped out at an orphanage for a week. It was a highly rewarding experience.
Expedition - This was probably the hardest part. First we went on a practice expedition in the Peak District (October 2009), where we walked on all kinds of terrain for 4 days. On average we walked around 6 miles a day, navigating on a set route and setting up camp. For the final and assessed expedition, we were set in Wales (March 2010). We walked for 5 days, covering about 8 miles a day. The weather was awful most of the time during both trips!

I have now completed all sections of the award, and am currently awaiting my certificates and the invitation to the awards ceremony at St.James' Palace.

I would definitely recommend the award, as it is very rewarding and is a great addition to your CV. However it is also challenging and as such requires determination and perseverance.

Jignesh Panchal

(Peterborough, Northamptonshire)