Duke of Edinburgh’s Award youngsters welcome MP

In the last year, participants from the school have collectively given 260 hours of voluntary service to the local community.

The Hamlet, which supports adults with additional needs to foster independence, skills and community connections, has been a DofE Licensed Organisation for over eight years and is currently supporting 27 young people aged 19 to 24 to start a DofE Award.

The students, who met with the Labour MP for Makerfield, told him about their work to support The Hamlet’s coffee shop, as well as how they’ve contributed to the on-site print works, as part of their DofE Skills section – helping them to develop their skills for their future.

Mr Simons also presented young people with certificates to mark the completion of their DofE sections.

Charlotte Brash, 26, who recently achieved her Gold DofE Award at The Hamlet, said: “It’s the best thing I’ve ever achieved.

"I was invited to Buckingham Palace to receive my Gold Award in May, and it was such a special day.

"The Duke of Edinburgh remembered his visit to The Hamlet, and I asked could he come back for another visit, and he said yes!”

Mr Simons said:"It was brilliant to visit the Hamlet School and learn about the students' experiences taking part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

"Last year over 400 young people across our area got involved with DofE. That is hundreds of young people with new skills, experiences and confidence, which is so important for them to gain.

"This is exactly what we want to see more of: young people supported to grow and thrive, whatever their plans and wherever they are from."

DofE operations manager Paul Griffiths said: “We are delighted to showcase the DofE provision at The Hamlet to Josh Simons MP and demonstrate the impact the Award has on local young people and the wider community.

"The Hamlet delivers a unique and impactful programme to young people aged 14 to 25, and it was great to show that to Mr Simons today.

“The DofE is more relevant now than ever before for young people – helping them build lifelong skills like resilience, teamwork and self-belief – and it is great to show the incredible difference that young people are making to their communities through their Award across Makerfield.’’

A record-breaking number of young people started their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award across the UK in 2024-25, with 572,802 young people actively taking part, 342,412 young people starting their Award – and participants contributing an astonishing 5.2 million hours of volunteering, with an estimated total value of £33.4m.

Young people who take part in the DofE experience positive impacts on their wellbeing, skills development, community ties and physical activity levels.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award wants to see 1.6 million young people start their DofE by Spring 2026.

It has launched ambitious projects to fund schools and community organisations in the UK’s most deprived areas to start offering the DofE, to expand into more prisons and young offender institutions, and to support more young people with additional needs and disabilities to achieve their DofE Awards.