Tenacity takes the Gold!

We learn what it takes to secure a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Wednesday 20th May 2026 witnessed the Gold Award Celebration for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Buckingham Palace, a fantastic opportunity to praise the achievements of all the young people who have successfully completed their DofE Gold Award.

Among them was former Claremont High School student, Amaani Bakrania, now aged 19 and studying Law at Portsmouth University. Amaani started the Gold Award back in April 2024, setting herself various goals. These ranged from developing life skills, such as cooking, through volunteering at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden) Temple, to completing challenging expeditions in the Yorkshire Dales. The latter involved four extremely windy days traversing three peaks, and included scouting out the route ahead and helping carry lots of kit.

Amaani put this experience to good use on a subsequent DofE residential. Over the course of a week, she worked alongside fifteen other young people she hadn’t previously met to complete various activities: orienteering, hiking, rock climbing, abseiling and caving.

‘My goals included challenging myself to push past my limits, stepping outside my comfort zone and developing my confidence and resilience,’ explains Amaani.

Judging by her Assessor’s comments afterwards, she certainly seems to have achieved that: ‘Well done, Amaani, for your part in an amazing week. Your attitude and enthusiasm for the activities was excellent, best summarised during the rock climbing as "tenacious". Good job!’

Ms Daniel, who leads the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Claremont, was quick to add her praise: ‘Congratulations, Amaani, on completing your Gold DofE Award! This prestigious achievement reflects your hard work, perseverance and resilience. You should be very proud of this significant milestone.’