YOUNG people were treated like royalty when they visited St James’s Palace in London to be given a prestigious award.

Twenty two students from West Sussex were presented with their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award from celebrity presenter and broadcaster Ortis Deley, and were able to share their experiences with the Earl of Wessex.

The DofE programme is designed to take young people through a challenging and rewarding programme of personal development with three levels – bronze, silver and gold.

One of the gold award recipients was Lauriane Canadas, who took part in her DofE at St Philip Howard Catholic School in Barnham, near Chichester.

Lauriane, 21, from Littlehampton, said: “I’ve had such a fantastic experience completing all levels of DofE and I would love for every young person to have the same opportunity.

“DofE has made me a more rounded, confident person and is already serving me on the work placement I am currently doing as part of my mathematics degree.

“It is great knowing that something so enjoyable has equipped me with the skills that most lines of work utilise.”

The 22 young people who attended the award ceremony at St James’s Palace were from Bishop Luffa School in Chichester, Collyers College in Horsham, Midhurst Youth Centre, Seaford College, Slindon College, Hurstpierpoint College and Worthing College, among others.

During the gold award presentation, Prince Edward took the opportunity to congratulate the group on their successes and heard about their DofE experiences, which took each young person 12 to 18 months of hard work and dedication.

Supported by the county council, 58 centres run DofE in West Sussex.

Email dofe@westsussex.gov.uk for more information.

It continues to grow in popularity each year.