How many people can say that they have met the King? And how many more people can say that they have completed their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award? Not a lot, we are sure. The chance meeting with the former Duke of Edinburgh whilst in Edinburgh herself was a fitting one.

After coming up from beautiful Bolton to Scotland to commemorate this amazing achievement, nothing could have made Rebekah Trengrove happier. The highlight of her DofE adventure was “the relief that came from signing everything off”, she says only half-jokingly. However, no one would disagree that there is nothing better than the feeling of completing something bigger than yourself. The runner up must be her trip to Scotland in celebration of this amazing achievement with fitting weather for the occasion.

The Anderton Centre is equally celebrating all the hard work (or ‘graft’ as they call it in Bolton) and dedication that she has put into this Award. Through this, Rebekah mastered the art of horse riding, and put her new skill to good use volunteering to teach children with additional needs the joys of equestrian activities. Rebekah has developed a special relationship with horses over the course of her DofE, and this new passion has helped her cultivate patience, understanding, and exceptional verbal communication skills.

DofE just doesn’t look great on paper; it’s great in person too. Friends and family sees she has changed and grown over the course of her DofE Gold, and Rebekah can see it too. Speaking with Rebekah, she says that she “excelled in the physical and practical aspects of DofE”. This comes as no surprise to the Anderton Centre, especially considering how she conducts herself in her work.

But of course, this story would not be complete unless we talk about the trials and tribulations that she has had to overcome. Rebekah has struggled with dyslexia throughout her life so it often takes longer for her to process words on a page and can be source of great stress for her. Fortunately, she has an invaluable leadership quality of seeing the strengths of others and knowing when to ask for help. Not to mention that she completed this during the pandemic; a notoriously difficult time to do anything!

Nonetheless, she persevered getting lost in weird fields and the occasional injury in need of first aid. If you were to write an acrostic poem about Rebekah, the R would most certainly stand for ‘Resilience’, and the Centre could not agree more. We are sure that she is going to go much further in life, and not to put too fine a point on it, we are extremely proud of Rebekah’s achievements. Stay amazing Rebekah.