THE Mayor of Thurrock, Cllr Yash Gupta MBE presented Bronze, Silver and Gold awards to over 100 young people from five Duke of Edinburgh groups at Thurrock Council’s annual DofE awards.
Held at Hassenbrook School, Stanford-le-Hope, groups included OAKs (Ockendon and Aveley kids), Thurrock DofE Club, Grays Convent, Stanford Open DofE centre and William Edwards school.
Cllr Gupta said: “I was thoroughly impressed to see the hard work the young people undertook in order to achieve these awards. This has been an inspirational evening and I would like to thank everyone who helped organise the celebrations.”
The young people who received awards have completed over 2,000 hours of voluntary service to the community, over the last 12 months. Activities included coaching various sports, altar serving, teaching children to read and caring for the elderly.
Two gold participants, Hannah Mingay and Leah McArdle, presented the evening while other young people showcased their talents.
The evening also recognised the work of many volunteers who have jointly contributed over 8,000 hours of commitment to the young people and their award over the past year. Particular credit was given to Mrs Jean Jones, who after spending the last 10 years running the award in Grays Convent, has decided to retire from the role.
If you are interested in either taking part as a participant or registering as an adult volunteer to support the young people in gaining their awards, please contact Thurrock Council DofE head office on 07721 320414 or e-mail: rbaker@thurrock.gov.uk