The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Action Event – Deanna’s Perspective

On Wednesday the 26th of September 2026, the other selected Homefield representatives and I travelled to meet the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward. The ‘Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Action’ event took place at a Secondary School named Cedars Academy, where we had to ensure we arrived on time in order to be well prepared for the whole day.

In the morning, I (Deanna), Zoe, Bridget, Sadie, Jacob and Jasmine met up in the Pavilion car park on time, all ready to travel down to the event location at Cedars Academy. We hopped in the car with all the items we needed for when we had to set up; this included Homefield banners, informative display boards and wig styling practice heads, along with the tools often used in Spectrum Style for hair and beauty.

We arrived around 12PM, where the college car was stopped at the gate. We saw Prince Edward leave his helicopter and walk past the entrance, where we also heard schoolchildren clapping and cheering. There was a lot of security around the Duke.

During the morning, we were permitted to enter the event location; we came into the front doors and were all handed either a clip-on badge or a lanyard with the same ID. We had to wear this during our time there. After we all got our forms of ID, we were introduced to somebody called Tina. She was nice and gave us the rundown of what would happen, while also showing us where the Homefield stall would be set up. There were many people there, from those running and representing the other stalls, to the School teachers, to security and to those in high positions working for the Prince.

After being shown our area, the group set up all our displays which we would use to represent Homefield and show what it is we do. Two large banners were situated at the back, and three rectangular tables were also set up towards the front. The left table displayed the hair styling side of Spectrum Style, with Jasmine working on shaping and grooming a wig head, while the right table displayed the nail art and treatments side of Spectrum Style, with Sadie and Bridget doing example work on Zoe. In the centre displayed a board that listed what services the whole of Spectrum Style provided, along with a few leaflets and cards.

After setting up, we had a lunch provided that featured a wide variety of food from savoury pizza and sandwiches to sweet flapjacks and lemon posset desserts. We did not see Prince Edward yet during this time, as I think he was eating elsewhere in his own private area.

After lunch, we spent a while waiting for when it would be our go to present our stall to Prince Edward. It seemed like we were near the last group to do so. Our room was quite small and compact, so when Prince Edward arrived at our stall, all we could hear was him talking and the sound of his footsteps on the stairs before he turned the corner to face us. The interaction was very speedy, but we all managed to tell Prince Edward about our experiences with the Duke of Edinburgh Award and what we had all accomplished.

When the Prince had left our stall, we all had to wait before we could pack away our set-up and head back to Homefield to go home. This is because we were not allowed to leave before the Prince would, and it would be best if everything was still set up and perfect just in case the Duke circled back around. We all saw as Prince Edward left, however, he didn’t leave in his helicopter like we had originally expected. Instead, the Prince left in a black car that drove away from the school, with another black car following it with flashing blue lights, there was also security on a motorbike ahead of him. At around 3PM we finally left Cedars Academy to drive back to Homefield.

When it was my turn to speak with Prince Edward, I told him about what I did for my Duke of Edinburgh Award. I was very, very nervous at first and tried to practice what to say in my head. When I had to speak, the words ended up spilling out of me, but I told Prince Edward about all three sections I completed. I had told the Duke of Edinburgh about my skill development in sewing, how I had kept to this year’s Sew Unique Fashion show theme of Upcycle, Recycle, and Sustainability. I told him how I found a curtain in a charity shop which aided towards this year’s theme, and how I used sewing as my skills development to turn the curtain into a stylish jacket. I used the college iPad to show him a picture of the jacket to better explain, with me wearing it during the fashion show.

When I was chosen as one of the students to represent Homefield and attend the event, I was shocked but also very nervous. I wasn’t sure what exactly was to be expected, even though I was told some aspects to prepare for.

In the lead-up to the event, the others and I had to keep what was happening on the day very hush-hush, which was very fun because I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, not even the other teachers at Homefield. Before we got to the actual event, I pictured our and everyone else’s stalls to be set up in a large area together, but that was not the case, so I was surprised when we were put in a separate location that was much, much smaller than I had anticipated. However, the smaller room did feel more personal, and I think it did help diminish my nerves a little bit instead of having to be in a crowded place with people I did not know.

I am glad I was chosen, as I think it was quite a rare opportunity for me that not too many people can say they have experienced, and I was glad I could express my achievements directly to the Duke himself, while also standing proud as a student and representative of Homefield.

I think it was very interesting to be able to have a quote put into a press release. When creating it, I did not know that quotes had to be so small, so initially it was hard to narrow down the information while still giving what was needed. I have never had a quote in the press before, so it felt pretty cool.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is adjusted and suited to you, but it also pushes you at the same time to learn and accomplish things that maybe you were unsure of, or didn’t think you’d be able to achieve. It not only broadens your set of capabilities, but it also allows you to explore areas within yourself and even helps you realise if something you’ve learnt could become a hobby or job you want to pursue more. The DofE Award also helps to build your confidence, whether in socialising with peers or being out in the community and interacting with the public. This could be such as communicating when having to exchange money with customers during a form of volunteering or talking with other students during the DofE Expedition.

What I enjoyed most about taking part in the DofE Award was being given the chance to develop my personal skills in an area I didn’t use to think I could accomplish: Sewing. In the end, doing my DofE award showed me that I could do it, and that trying a new skill even if afraid or uncertain in your own abilities can definitely be worthwhile, now I want to accomplish much more in my sewing and it had inspired my creativity so much more than before. I will be taking this skill forward in life and I think that completing DofE really is an intangible reward that you can carry onwards in life and further develop, the reward is the skills you gain, rather than a reward just for completing a task.