Foreward
The death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh caused a wave of devastation across our Nation and I felt that in recognition of his many achievements, his forward thinking and dedication to country we should honour his legacy.
Prince Philip was a remarkable man - He served in the British forces during WW2, was a patron, president or member of over 780 organisations, the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the longest-lived male member of the British Royal family. On the date of his retirement - August 2nd 2017- he had completed 22,219 solo engagements and 5,493 speeches since 1952. No one could ever doubt or question his dedication to Queen and Country.
His establishment of the Duke of Edinburgh awards has had a massive, positive impact on the lives of many young people. In the UK since 1956 over 3.1 million Awards have been achieved and over 6.7 million have been started. Over 2million of those awards achieved are from young people here in Northern Ireland. However, I was conscious that the format of those awards would not interest or suit everyone. I also wanted to provide something that would also benefit those in the younger age category of 11-16yrs that would typically miss out on funding opportunities.
With this in mind, I’m incredibly proud that we have created our own bursary as a legacy to the Duke of Edinburgh here in our Borough which will enable young people to learn new skills, volunteer, gain self-confidence, make a difference in their community and follow their passion. Through this programme the legacy of a remarkable man lives on and will enable, encourage and empower our youth.
Councillor Leah Smyth