Hundreds of young people from the Furness area have taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme over the years and The Mail has been on hand to capture their successes.

In 1970 a presentation evening to mark ten years of the scheme in Barrow heard it was ‘still going very strongly’ and 174 young people received their awards.

The chairman for the evening, Coun W. Floyd, said that year’s results, the second highest achieved for Barrow, gave a great deal of satisfaction. “It proves that it is not something which started off strong and later began dying out,” he said. “It’s continually growing and we’re above the national average in awards.”

Among the platform guests at the Public Hall were the Mayor and Mayoress of Barrow, Ald. and Mrs J.L Jackson.

Ald Jackson said: “The results of the scheme in Barrow mark a remarkable achievement. This year’s number brings the total awards gained in the past ten years to 1,500.”

That year 70 girls and 30 boys received bronze awards, 47 girls and 16 boys silver medals, and three girls and eight boys were awarded the gold medal.

The awards were presented by Mr S. McEneny, a well-known trampoline artist.

Presenting Duke of Edinburgh Awards at Barrow Sixth Form College in 1986 was one of the college’s first pupils, Steven Taylor, who took part in the Operation Raleigh expedition.

Gold award winners, all with Barrow addresses, were: Julie Postlethwaite, of Fairfield Lane; David Garforth, of Seathwaite Road; Valerie Thomas, of Rakesmoor Lane and Lindsay Wakefield, of Elterwater Crescent.

Nine young people received their bonze DoE Award at Barrow’s Town Hall in 1997.

The all-girl group worked in a number of deferent areas, including organising a fashion show in aid of OXFAM, helping children, playing musical instruments, improving their badminton and undertaking a two-day walking and camping trip in the Lake District.

Mayor Margaret Martindale congratulated the girls on their achievements and awarded them with their certificates.