OC Jonathan's Gold DofE Award

Old Churcherian Jonathan Glasspool picked up his Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at St. James’ Palace in February 2019.

In attendance was HRH The Earl of Wessex and presenting the awards was motivational speaker Chris Lubbe (who, coincidentally, was the guest speaker at the 2017 Churcher’s College annual Speech Day).

Steph, Adventurous Activities Co-ordinator at Churcher’s College said,

"I had the enormous pleasure of accompanying Jonathan Glasspool to St. James’ Palace in February to receive his Gold DofE Award.  Prince Edward was charming, inspiring and incredibly personable, asking questions to the young people attending the event about their journey to complete their Gold Award, and making them feel very special indeed. After Prince Edward had spoken to the group, motivational speaker Chris Lubbe presented the Certificates to each young person.

"Jonathan brought his Grandma along for the day, who had travelled up from Falmouth, to celebrate this special day, of which she was incredibly proud."

More about Jonathan Glasspool and his Gold DofE achievement:

Skills

Jonathan Learnt to glide, harnessing the energy in the air to stay up for hours without using any mechanical power. He then achieved his first solo flight at the 2018 inter-university competition at Nympsfield, where his University (The University of Edinburgh) won progression and cross country categories.

Volunteering

He became the Secretary for University Gliding Club, promoting gliding as a sport amongst the student body, organising flying weekends trips and club activities.

Physical

Jonathan cycled 1200km across France in 10 days with two friends travelling across the entire width of France, completely organised and planned by themselves and executed independently, carrying all their own supplies.

Residential

Jonathan completed the RYA Yachtmaster Coastal, building on 10,000 miles of sailing experience.

The qualification has allowed him to skipper boats for the University Sailing Club (EUSC) in both Scotland and the Mediterranean. In this capacity he has had command of boats up to 52ft in length with up to 12 crew members, developing his leadership skills.

Expedition

Jonathan took part in a challenging expedition in a remote part of the Lake District, investigating the impact of reservoirs there.

Reasons for doing Gold DofE:

"I am about to come to the end of my Mechanical Engineering Degree (MEng), and have been applying for graduate jobs. I have been in the fortunate position of having multiple potential employers wanting to employ me across defence, aerospace and energy sectors, and have now signed a contract with Bosch to undertake a graduate job starting in August. This is in no small part due to the activities that I carried out in the completion of my Gold DofE. In addition to the activities, the fact that I have actually completed the award shows tenacity and demonstrates an ability to get stuff done, that employers yearn for.

"There are many graduates each year that finish university with a good degree, so this award makes your CV stand out in a crowded market and is something that UK employers can recognise on your CV.

"Beyond just improving my CV the activities are themselves all good fun. I have had some really good experiences that will stay with me forever." - Jonathan Glasspool