All students who achieved Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards were presented with their certificates at a celebration evening in School. A number of students from the Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions shared their experiences of completing the Awards and the group also heard from guest speaker and Old Girl Jaiminee Patel (Class of 2011) just a few days after she ran the London Marathon!
Jaiminee herself completed the Duke of Edinburgh Award while at Bolton School. She shared how that experience inspired her to keep volunteering, and keep adventuring. While still at School, she took part in World Challenge, visiting Ladakh, India, and taking her first hiking trip at altitude. Though she is now a Financial Adviser at St James’s Place, she continues to pursue adventurous experiences, such as learning to ride a bike in order to take part in a biathlon, and training to run the London Marathon in a matter of months.
Perhaps the most notable of her adventures so far was her amazing trek to Everest Base Camp in 2022, which she spoke about during her fascinating and inspirational address.
She explained that the trip raised funds for two charities supporting young people, both in Nepal, by helping to build and equip a Vocational Training Centre in Kathmandu, and in the UK through her company’s matched donation to OnSide UK, which is the charity behind Bolton Lads and Girls Club, where Jaiminee herself volunteered while at Bolton School.
The trek was supposed to happen in 2020, but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, and even when the group finally landed in Nepal two years later than planned, there were yet more hold-ups due to bad weather! However, after battling a challenging hike past incredible sights and through amazing landscapes, and despite facing altitude sickness, Jaiminee made it to Everest Base Camp.
Read more about Jaiminee’s Everest Adventure in the Old Girls’ Magazine
Duke of Edinburgh Awards Celebration 2024:
