OLD Oratorians Charles Wilmott, Jake Ford, Joe Bradley and Milo Briffett were recently invited to Buckingham Palace to receive their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Awards, earnt during their time at the school.

The ceremony at Buckingham Palace was the first of two events for gold award winners and their guests, which welcomed more than 8,000 young people over the course of two days.

Milo said: "I enjoyed the challenges of DofE and the opportunity to meet those challenges through teamwork, volunteering and sustained effort. The satisfaction of achieving the goals I had set myself was immense.”

To achieve a gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award, participants must complete 12 months of volunteering, a four-day expedition, and various physical, skill-based and residential challenges.

Marcus Fec, Oratory Assistant Head Co-Curricular added: “We are delighted all four of our Gold candidates completed their award, having showed so much dedication throughout their time at the school. The group was a model to all participants in preparing for their arduous expedition in the Lake District by organising their own winter hike in Snowdonia, in addition to the school-led practice expedition in the Brecon Beacons.

"Jake, Milo and Charles completed their volunteering and leadership within the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), and Joe showed initiative by running a Chess club at his former primary school.

"While Charles was a direct entrant on to the Gold Award, Jake, Milo and Joe rounded off their school careers by achieving all three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, having previously completed Bronze and Silver.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme is just one of the many co-curricular activities on offer at The Oratory, which aim to enrich students’ learning and provide fun, adventure and inspiration all year round.