Duke of Edinburgh's Award Expeditions

The sighting of an expedition group this morning brought back memories of my time as an Assessor for Gold D of E Expeditions on Dartmoor in the years 1970 - 1990's. A Gold Expedition had to take place in a designated wild area like the Brecon's, the Lakes and of course Dartmoor and required of a group of 4 to 6 people aged between 16 and 23 years who were required to follow a route they had planned consisting of at least 50 mikes over 4 days.

The assessor was the independent judge who made sure that they stuck to to rules as set down by the Award Scheme. To do this we would carry out checks of them along their route. The safety of the group was the responsibility of their trainers but our checks were also an important back up on their well being. I certainly used to make sure that I met them in the most remote parts of the moor which kept them on their toes as to where and when we would turn up. In practice, if they were coping OK, out visits were not that frequent, in order not to spoil the experience for them, and some times an observation, unseen, from a distance, would suffice.

During my 30 years on the Dartmoor Expedition Panel, I met some great young people and some dedicated trainers and leaders, who gave up weeks of their spare time in order that the young people could experience the wilderness.

My life was enriched by the experience and my chance to pass on my love of the moor. I also got invited to a Garden Party at the Palace and was presented to the Duke of Edinburgh at St James Palace during an Award giving ceremony.

Today I believe that the Expedition Panels have been disbanded and the groups are assessed by their own assessors. Like lots of challenges, be they academic or physical, the rules are relaxed for one reason or another and explained that "we must move on". I am sometimes disappointed that these lead not only to changes but to a lessening to the quality of the experience to the person it is aimed at.