Students at a Kendal school have spoken about how taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award has helped build their confidence and life skills during a visit from their local MP.
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, visited The Queen Katherine School on Friday, November 6, to meet young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE).
Students spoke about their progress through the scheme and the impact it had made on their confidence and personal development.
They also discussed the benefits of spending time outdoors and how volunteering had helped them become more involved in their local community.
The Queen Katherine School has been a licensed DofE organisation for more than 20 years and has supported more than 2,000 young people to start an award.
Over the past year, students at the school have completed a combined 1,924 hours of voluntary service in the community, which the DofE said had a social value of £14,525.
Megan, who is working towards her Gold DofE at the school, said: “My experiences completing Bronze and Silver DofE and going trekking in the Atlas Mountains at QKS have been some of the greatest in my life.
“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with my friends, whilst also building important life skills and the confidence to be able to do similar independently.
“I can't wait for Gold!”
Mr Farron said: “It was inspiring to visit Queen Katherine School to meet with some amazing young DofE participants and staff and to hear first-hand the transformative impact that the Award is having on their lives.
“It is of vital importance that young people have access to outdoor learning experiences and activities, and the Award provides exactly that, helping them build the skills and confidence they need to thrive in life and work.”
Young people aged between 14 and 24 can take part in the DofE, completing activities covering physical exercise, skills and volunteering, as well as an expedition.
Between April 2025 and March 2026, 509 young people started their DofE in the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, including 126 at The Queen Katherine School.
Ruth Ramsdale, operations manager at The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity, said: “It was fantastic to welcome Tim to The Queen Katherine School and give him the opportunity to hear directly from students about their DofE experiences and achievements.
“The Award gives young people the freedom to discover what they are capable of, develop skills that will stay with them for life and make a meaningful contribution to the places where they live.”
She added that the students’ experiences showed how their “confidence, commitment and community spirit have grown through taking part”.
Across the UK, 1.6 million young people started a DofE Award between April 2021 and March 2026, according to the charity.
Participants completed 21 million hours of volunteering during the period, which the DofE estimated was worth more than £130 million.
The charity aims to equip more than two million young people with skills for life and work by 2031.
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