Living Legacies to Mark 50th AnniversaryScottish planting power helps The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award mark historic milestone
On 1st April, rather than fooling around as the date would traditionally suggest thousands of participants in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award will take part in The National Celebration of Service Day to raise awareness of volunteering through the Service section of the Award during it’s 50th Anniversary year.
The Service section provides opportunities for the young people to make a personal contribution to their communities by fundraising, taking part in environmental work, helping the emergency or rescue services, providing safety training or working with the community on projects such as working with children with special needs.
One of the many events taking place on the 1st April will be a national tree-planting marathon. Five hundred trees are being provided by The Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, and will be planted in 10 locations around the country to mark the achievements of the Award during the past 50 years and create lasting legacies to be enjoyed by all for many years to come.
The tree planting in Scotland will take place on the 1st April at North Wood, Livingston at 11am. The 50 trees will be planted by a team, which includes Award Participants and volunteers from across West Lothian. Further tree planting events will be taking place by Award Groups all over the UK this week, which also forms a key part of the Woodland Trust’s ambitious five year Tree For All Campaign to enable people of all ages to plant 12 million trees. After the initial tree planting, Award Groups will be offered the opportunity to plant more trees in the autumn.
Janet Shepherd, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Director - Scotland said:
“Volunteering in the community is a key component of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, and many participants choose conservation and the environment as part of their Service and Residential Sections. By planting these trees, Award Participants will be helping to improve the landscape of their communities as well as contributing to a 50th Anniversary target to reach a grand total of 1 million service hours by Award Participants in 1 year.
“Since the Award was launched, more than five million young people in over 100 countries have provided 54 million hours of service to their communities. This is an outstanding achievement and I am thrilled that we will be marking our 50th Anniversary by planting trees that will grow to improve our landscape, just as the work of the Award will grow over the next 50 years to improve the lives of millions more young people.
“This is the first of many events we are hosting this year across Scotland and the rest of the UK to celebrate and raise awareness of the fantastic achievements by participants and volunteers involved in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award during the past fifty years.”
Rebecca Whitley, of The Woodland Trust, says: “We are delighted to be working with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award’s vast army of dedicated participants and volunteers. With their help we will be able to create 10 lasting legacies across the UK to help transform our landscape. Their efforts will reap benefits for generations to come by helping create thriving green spaces that are teeming with life.
“Tree For All shares a common spirit with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, because these volunteers will join a global movement of young people planting trees - from Australia to Zambia, from Norway to Uganda.”
-ENDS-
For further information or if you would like to send a reporter/photographer to cover the event please contact:
Shona Taylor, Public Relations Officer, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award on 01753 727423
Or email shona.taylor@theaward.org
Tim Wood, 50th Anniversary Co-ordinator- Scotland, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, on 0131 556 9097, or e-mail scotland@theaward.org
Jacqui Morris, Communications Officer, Woodland Trust Scotland, Tel 01355 578777, mobile 07979 706675 or email jacquimorris@woodland-trust.org.uk
Notes to editors:
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award:
• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award 50th Anniversary celebrations are kindly sponsored by Bank of Scotland Corporate. Bank of Scotland Corporate is part of HBOS plc, the UK's largest mortgage and savings provider. The bank works with businesses of over £1 million turnover across a wide range of banking and finance areas and has one of the most knowledgeable and experienced teams in the industry.
• The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity was launched in 1956 under the patronage of HRH The Duke Of Edinburgh, to encourage and support the personal development of millions of 14 to 25-year-olds, regardless of their gender, background, ethnicity or ability.
• Over 500,000 participants are involved in working towards an Award at any one time, with over 225,000 of these in the UK (25,000 in Scotland).
• There were over 145,000 new entrants last year in the UK (over 11,000 in Scotland), and over 58,000 (nearly 5,000 in Scotland) achieved their Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.
• The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a registered charity run with the support of over 50,000 volunteers and 10,000 partner organisations. (There are 62 Operating Authorities currently operating the Award in Scotland, including all 32 Councils, many of the Voluntary Youth Organisations and a large number of Independent Schools.)
• Since 1956, over 3.5 million young people have participated in the UK Award. Currently almost seven per cent of 14 to 17-year-olds in the UK are taking part through Award Groups in schools, youth clubs, voluntary organisations, Open Award Centres, colleges, young offender institutes and businesses.
• In 1988, The International Award Association was established to co-ordinate and develop the Award worldwide and since 1956, over 5 million young people in over 100 countries have taken up the challenge. (Exchanges take place each year between participants from Scotland and a number of these countries. In particular there is an on going partnership with The President’s Award in The Gambia, which has been running for over 20 years.)
• The Award was founded by the Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. TRH The Duke of Edinburgh and The Earl of Wessex continue to be involved with the organisation to this date.
• The organisation’s roster of famous alumni boasts an impressive number of world-famous names including Dame Kelly Holmes, David Hempleman-Adams, Katherine Jenkins, Alice Beer, Ben Fogle, Steve Blacknell, and Kevin Keegan.
• This year the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is encouraging all participants to log the hours that they have given to the community and are hoping to reach a grand total of 1 million hours in 1 year.
• Further information can be found at http://www.theaward.org/
The Woodland Trust: The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters. The Trust has four key aims: i) No further loss of ancient woodland; ii) Restoring and improving the biodiversity of woods; iii) Increasing new native woodland; iv) Increasing people’s understanding and enjoyment of woodland.
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free. Further news can be found at http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/
Tree For All: It is a new kind of movement that gives children the chance to understand nature and the power to care for it. The campaign aims to plant 12 million trees throughout the UK, between September 2004 and 2009, involving people of all ages by planting native trees.
