21 May
Aurora Foxes students strike gold at Palace
Four past and present students from Aurora Foxes in Minehead travelled to London to receive their gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Awards.
Ella, Ben and Alex joined former pupil Arianna at Buckingham Palace having successfully completed a range of challenging and adventurous activities last year, including a hiking expedition and a week’s residential at Kilve Court in Somerset.
They were joined at the prestigious event by Foxes House Manager Nina Patrick, who has led the team supporting students through their DofE at the hospitality and catering college for the past four years. She is attending as part of celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of DofE.
Speaking after her visit to the Palace, student Ella described the experience as “amazing and inspiring”.
She said: “I was in a line of people who had the opportunity to meet HRH Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh. He asked me how I felt about receiving a Gold medal and I told him that I felt it was an enormous achievement and one I’m incredibly proud of.
“I had what felt like a long chat with him and the funniest part of the day was seeing the faces of all those people around me who wondered how I managed to grab his attention for so long!”
Nina praised the impact of the DofE scheme on Foxes’ students, saying it was hugely beneficial to their individual growth. She said: “Last year marked a particularly exciting milestone, as 2025 was the first time we were able to offer our students the opportunity to take the Gold Award.
“It has such a positive impact on their confidence, self-belief, physical fitness and general life skills." Nina Patrick
"I’ve seen our students when they’ve been camping out and hiking in all kinds of weather and it’s great to see the way in which they work together and support each other. You really see a different side to them.”
To achieve their gold award, the students had to learn new skills, give back through volunteering and improve their physical fitness.
And, the future of the scheme at Foxes looks bright thanks to Learning Support Practitioner Charlie Hunt, who has recently qualified as a DofE assessor, and Care Support Worker Adam Coates, who is currently being trained. Together, they will be able to lead DofE expeditions in future, rather than being reliant on external support.
Nina said: “As a college, we firmly believe that the DofE awards help build confidence, resilience and essential life skills that will stay with our students well beyond the programme.”
“I’m very proud of what our students have achieved,” said Nina. “Seeing them collect their awards at Buckingham Palace is a reminder of the powerful impact the DofE programme has on our students’ lives.”
