Fifteen young people have now completed the Expedition Section marking the full-completion of their Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

In order to complete their Silver Expedition young people are required to plan, train for and complete an unaccompanied, self-reliant expedition with an agreed aim in groups between 4 and 7 participants. The expedition must be completed by their own physical efforts and should be a continuous journey. It is also required for participants to have completed a certificated first aid course.

Training requires young people learning how to route-plan, actively navigate, cook at least one hot meal per day and pitch their own camp setup. All of the equipment they used must be carried by the group for the entire duration of the trip.

The young people had actually completed three expeditions over a 6-week period, each time moving towards a greater level of independence. In total, the group have undertaken 7-days hiking (with the average walk being 15km) and 6-nights sleeping in hammocks.

Ben Feenie, a 16-year-old participant said ahead of the expedition “I don’t think I can do this, it’s just so hard” – but against all of his own odds he walked past that finish line ready to collect his award.

Pete Crossley, Deputy CEO for The BHY said: “This really is a great piece of Youth Work. The distanced travelled for these young people has been evidenced not only by their walking-distance, but also their resilience and attitude”.