A trip to Buckingham Palace

Friday 19th May saw four recent Gold Award-winners from the John Lyon alumni attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace in celebration of their achievements.

The newly appointed Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Prince Edward, was in attendance and spoke warmly from the West Terrace about the value and hugely positive impact of the award and the individual efforts and contributions of the young people in the audience. After the speeches, the Duke took a tour of the garden, listening to anecdotes about everyone’s experiences and congratulating individuals on their efforts.

The garden itself had been transformed for the occasion, with many smaller stages for guest speakers, including

TV adventurer Charlie Boorman, professional footballer, and Lioness Jill Scott MBE, and distinguished foreign correspondent John Simpson CBE.

The four Old Lyonians in attendance were Jay Desai (Class of 2020), Niale Emmanuel (Class of 2020), Antony Rogers (Class of 2020) and Sevan Keoshgerian (Class of 2013). Robert Ellis-Paul, who has been coordinating the Duke of Edinburgh’s award since 2018, and was also in attendance at the palace, recalls some of the expeditions of the class of 2020, who battled through heavy snow in the Peak District and showed great compassion and resourcefulness when they rescued a stricken sheep on their expedition in the Brecon Beacons. All the alumni present were keen to relate fond memories of the School and of the many challenges overcome and lessons learnt through participation in the DofE Awards.

The School sends huge congratulations to these four achievers: we are sure they will be a powerful inspiration to the many pupils working towards DofE Awards at all levels right now. n