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Duke’s award defends its safety record
Bo Wilson30.10.09
Organisers of the Duke of Edinburgh award today insisted the scheme had an “exemplary safety record” after the Earl of Wessex suggested the risk of death attracted young people to it.
Prince Edward, promoting the award in Australia, was asked about the death of Sydney 17-year-old David Iredale in the Blue Mountains three years ago. He had believed the hike would go towards his silver Duke of Edinburgh award.
The prince did not speak specifically about the case, but remarked that interest in the scheme jumped after the death of a teenager in Britain years ago.
The DofE said: “The Duke of Edinburgh's Award has an exemplary safety record and has no record of a death of a DofE participant in the UK as a direct result of their DofE expedition.”
Reader views (5)
Strange I did the DoE to do better than my peers. It was the same with motorsport. The danger may add something to the challenge but the real aim is to win!
- Michael De Ferrari, London
Strangely the risk of death or serious injury lost it's appeal for our macho prince when he joined the army and er...left it again very quickly.
- Tony, London
For goodness sake is there nothing anyone can say anymore that someone doesn't leap on and use as a stick to beat the person with? Better to have lived doing something that you wanted to do than die without ever leaving the comfort of your bedroom.
- Sally, hertford UK
Despite all the expensive schooling these Windsors had not one of them managed to become "educated". What makes this wimp so unpopular is the fact that he is paid £250,000 to travel the globe uttering such crass comments.
- R.F.York, Yorks, UK
He's quite right! When I was doing my DofE I must say one of the attractions was the risk of death or serious injury. That's why one of the first things I did was learn first aid to quite a high level. And years later. when I was finishing, I was helping teach it to youngsters just starting on the scheme.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
