HRH The Duke of Edinburgh presents first Glasgow students Gold Award under ScottishPower Foundation support
Five young people from Hyndland Secondary School in Glasgow visited the Palace of Holyrood House yesterday (Thursday 3 July) to collect their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards having been supported every step of the way by the ScottishPower Foundation.
The students are among a group 29 young people who are the first to achieve the Gold standard in Glasgow under support from the Foundation.
Margaret Watt, the Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator at Hyndland Secondary, said: “Hyndland has been running the Duke of Edinburgh programme for eight years now and we’re very proud of what the young people have achieved.
“Seeing them mature and take responsibility for what they do is very satisfying. They’re terrific young people - they just get on with what they need to do with all the elements of their Award and they’re all so conscientious and bright.
“The pupils showed real commitment fulfilling all of the criteria and they’ve enjoyed the experience so much, making a positive impact on everyone along the way.”
Since the partnership between Duke of Edinburgh Scotland and the ScottishPower Foundation was established, over 2,000 young people have been able to undertake the Duke of Edinburgh Award in Glasgow.
Come the completion of the current Awards cycle in August, it is forecast that 1,145 young people will have gained the Award through the partnership with the ScottishPower Foundation over that time.
Keith Anderson, Chief Corporate Officer at ScottishPower and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “We are committed to improving the life chances and employability of young people in Glasgow and our partnership with Duke of Edinburgh Scotland provides us with the opportunity to do just that.
“Not only have the young participants had a terrific experience working towards their certificates, but they’ve learnt new skills and improved their self-confidence along the way. All whilst making a positive contribution to their communities across Glasgow.
“I’m extremely proud of everyone picking up their awards this year, but it’s a particularly proud moment for the Foundation to see the young people we have supported achieve the Gold Award. I hope this is a catalyst for them going onto achieve great things in the future.”
The increased growth in number of young people participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme has also resulted in a success rate of 53% being maintained across the city.
Barry Fisher, Director of Duke of Edinburgh Scotland, said: “I am delighted to see these five young people from Glasgow receive their Gold Award. They are among the first to achieve their Gold Awards thanks to the support of our partners at the ScottishPower Foundation.
“These five young people represent the ScottishPower Foundation’s commitment to improving life chances for young people in city and I am confident that we will see many more young Glaswegians receiving their Gold Awards at next year’s presentation.”
The five students from Hyndland Secondary are Charlotte Bell, Pierre Hyman, Charlie Irvine, Robyn Low and Lauren McMillan.
For further information please contact Stuart Martin or Kirsty MacLeod at Stripe Communications on 0131 561 8628 or 07540 372528. You can also email the team at scottishpower@stripecommunications.com
Notes to editors:
The ScottishPower Foundation is a registered Scottish charity (SC043862) and a company imited by guarantee (SC445116). The Foundation’s aim is to make a significant and lasting contribution to society and enhance the quality of life in local communities. It provides funding to registered charities and non-profit organisations for the following purposes: the advancement of education; the advancement of environmental protection; the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science; the prevention or relief of poverty and the relief of those in need by reason of disability or other disadvantage; the advancement of citizenship and community development.