Hundreds of school pupils from all across Aberdeen picked up their Duke of Edinburgh awards last night at a special ceremony.
A total of 400 youngsters from every part of the city secured the prestigious accolade this year, and 185 collected their honours at the Beach Ballroom last night.
Established by Prince Philip in 1956, the scheme challenges youngsters from the age of 14 to 24 to improve themselves by learning new skills, taking part in gruelling physical challenges and volunteering in their local communities.
This year, 32 pupils received gold certificates, the highest rank of the award, which requires more than 12 months of volunteering and participating in a four-day expedition through the wilderness.
As well as improving the confidence of youngsters, the organisers of the award also argue that completing the programme can help them improve their CVs and give them a competitive edge when applying for university or college.
Aberdeen’s Lord Provost Barney Crockett presented some of the awards.
And he said afterwards: “The Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme offers young people the opportunity to transform and raise their aspirations.
“With such a diverse range of activities and experiences available, young people can meet others from different backgrounds, develop new skills and gain confidence which will benefit them now and into adulthood.
“The scheme has developed over the decades and, with so many activities available here in Aberdeen, I would encourage all our young people to find out how they can get involved.”
This is the third year the awards ceremony has been run as a city-wide event for pupils from schools all across Aberdeen, and the ceremony featured a record number of winners.
In addition to the presentation of the Duke of Edinburgh awards, there was a special event yesterday to recognise the commitment and dedication of volunteers who help to run the scheme in Aberdeen every year.
School staff, senior pupils, parents and other volunteers from communities across Aberdeen secured special volunteering awards for their part in supporting and mentoring youngsters taking on the challenge.
