Bbs STRIKE GOLD with DUKE of EDINBURGH AWARDS

TEMPLATE RELEASE – DRAFT

BBs STRIKE GOLD WITH DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS

Boys’ Brigade members were at St James’ Palace or other location yesterday (DATE) as they received the highly coveted Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Prince Philip / The Duke of York, HRH Prince Andrew, gave the Royal seal of approval to Boys’ Brigade members <INSERT NAMES> of <GROUP>.

Each of the award winners had to take part in a tough series of events including physical activity, community service, skills, volunteering and an expedition.

The <HOW MANY> young men put in more than <HOW MANY> hours of community service between them – this involved working with young boysand girls in their BB companies, and <WHAT ELSE DID THEY DO / WHAT CHALLENGES DID THEY UNDERTAKE?>.

The Duke of Edinburgh/The Duke of York> spoke to the recipients of the award before handing over to <NAME, TITLE>, who presented the boys with their certificates.

<NAME, TITLE> of The Boys’ Brigade said:

“I am very proud of these young men and they should all be proud too. They had to undertake a lot of work in order to achieve the Gold award. It was tough at times, but gaining Gold has made it all worthwhile. Their resilience and dedication is highly commendable. They were delighted to meet HRH Prince Philip/HRH Prince Andrew> and I am sure they will remember this special day for the rest of their lives.”

The Gold award is the highest accolade in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme which started in 1956. The awards were set up to inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development and recognise their achievements. Today more than 280,000 young people participate in DofE programmes throughout the United Kingdom.

Notes to Editors

1.The Boys' Brigade was founded in Glasgow on 4th October 1883 by Sir William Alexander Smith. From this one Company formed in Scotland the BB has grown in to a worldwide movement having worked with millions of children and young people for well over a century.

2.The Boys’ Brigade cares for and challenges children and young people through a programme of informal education in a fun way. Each week more than 50,000 young people, aged 5 to 18, take part in one of its 1,450 groups supported by 12,000 volunteer leaders.

3.For more information, please contact:

<NAME, PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS>