Deputy Lieutenant presents Beacon Academy students with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Students and staff at Beacon Academy were delighted to welcome Kathy Sambrook OBE DL, Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex, to the school’s Awards Evening for students that completed The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award last academic year.

Representing the Lord-Lieutenant, Kathy Sambrook OBE DL, congratulated the students and presented them with their Bronze or Silver DofE Awards in front of an audience of proud family members, staff and a representative of the academy’s DofE expedition provider, Outspark.

Kathy Sambrook commented:

“It is very heartening to see so many young people completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme which, apart from being a life-enhancing experience for them, contributes greatly to our community as a whole through the support students give to an array of organisations across the county.”

Crowborough Town Mayor and Chair of our Local Governing Committee, Cllr Matthew Street, gave a speech highlighting the value and benefits of volunteering and supporting others, both in school and in the wider community.

Beacon Academy Headteacher, Keith Slattery, and members of staff joined the Deputy Lieutenant in congratulating the students on their outstanding achievements and shared video highlights created by Silver Award participants and inspirational insights into the ultimate challenge of the Gold Award. Beacon Academy currently has 22 Sixth Former students working towards the Gold Award.

DofE Manager, Kyla Webb, commented:

“It truly is inspiring to see how each and every one of our students has grown through their experiences with the DofE. Through their varied volunteer work, they have all had such a positive impact on our community, and they have risen to challenges they have set themselves through completing the Skills, Physical and Expedition sections of the Award, becoming braver, fitter, stronger, more skilled, and creative. We would like to thank everyone who has given their time to support our students throughout their DofE journeys. We encourage all of our students to consider continuing their DofE journey all the way to Gold.”

Beacon Academy became a Licenced Organisation for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in 2019 and is proud to now be one of the largest providers of the Award in East Sussex.