By Leeza Clark

SOME 700 young men and women with a Midas touch converged on the Palace of Holyroodhouse yesterday to collect their gold awards from the Duke of Edinburgh.

They came from all walks of life and from all around Scotland, the north of England and Northern Ireland to be presented to the duke, who established the awards which bear his name 52 years ago, and be given their certificates from a host of well known faces from the world of sport, entertainment, politics and businesses who acted as guest hosts.

Each award participant earned their gold award after an average of 18 months carrying out a range of skills and challenges in five sections of the programme, in service, physical recreation, skills, an expedition and a residential project.

Activities can range from football to dance and rock climbing to journalism and expeditions are increasingly taking the young participants overseas.

Since the award began in Scotland in 1956 it has provided a challenge to almost six million young people around the world.

In the main its aim is to help young people to try new things, learn more about themselves and work together for their own benefit and that of their local communities.

It is open to all aged between 14 and 25, helping those in and out of the education system whatever their circumstance or abilities.

Participants take part through schools, colleges, youth clubs, voluntary organisations, pupil referral units, young offenders institutes and in business.

It is working in over 2500 secondary schools, over 800 independent schools, nearly 265 special schools and in over 6000 other youth groups.

Every year more than 145,000 young people take up the challenge of award and in Britain there are about 275,000 working towards their bronze, silver and gold awards at any one time.

Since 1956 three million have entered the programme and two million awards have been achieved.

And yesterday the latest recipients had their chance to visit the palace in the presence of the award’s founder and patron.

Included in the ranks were young people from Fife, Perthshire, Dundee, Angus and Central Scotland.

Buckhaven’s Ewan MacGregor was among them as the 19-year-old former pupil of Buckhaven High and Elmwood College earned his award through the Leven detachment of the Army Cadets which he joined when he was 13.

Also receiving her award was 17-year-old Roxanne Carcary from Perth who is going to college to study childcare.

She had a great time doing her award—even with sopping wet sleeping bags, a sighting of a moose and the misfortune of sharing a tent with a frog.

Roxanne was fortunate enough to speak to the duke, and he joked she had taken the easy way out, with an exploration rather than an expedition.

“But I said, ‘Well you write a big essay at the end of it!’ ” laughed the teenager, who was accompanied by her mother and grandmother.

Also making it a family day were Dundee’s Laura and Sean Robertson.

Laura (22) had paved the way for her little brother in the awards having completed hers some years ago.

However, she had never been able to collect her certificate, having been abroad as part of her Glasgow University degree where she is studying Spanish, and so opted to receive it alongside her brother this year.

In typical older sister style, Laura said, “I never thought he would do it, but he took to it very well and it was very good for him.”

For the sake of a peaceful home, it is perhaps a good job the siblings did not work on their gold together—for while Sean, who works for Perth and Kinross Council, played the drums, Laura took to the chanter.

For all the young people there yesterday, one of the guest presenters, Wing Commander Gavin Davey, summed up their achievements and how it would set them on the road to the rest of their lives.

“It is a huge honour to come along and present and chat to the recipients and I realise I am probably in the company of the fittest in terms of physical and mental ability in the country today,” he said.

“You will be role models—there is a bit of a dearth of role models around the country just now.

“But you are role models and people will look up to you and expect that of you and I would say that is your greatest challenge for the future as you look forward, move on and take up new challenges seriously with the skills and determination you have,” he said.

Two recipients of certificates had a huge surprise on the palace grounds.

For once recipients from Dundee had been given their certificates from Rangers and Scotland football star Christian Dailly, it was the turn of Harris Academy teachers Agnes Begg and Neil Macqueen.

Both the teachers from the maths department are retiring, and for their volunteer work in helping pupils through their Duke of Edinburgh awards they were given certificates.

This was made even more special as Christian is in fact a former pupil.

“It has been a pleasure and I have loved every minute,” said Mrs Begg, while Mr Macqueen added it was a change seeing pupils in a non-classroom environment.

“You see how they grow and there is a lot of hard work put in by them all—I take my hat off to them,” he added.

“It has truly been a privilege and a pleasure,” added his colleague.