I wasn’t a great achiever as a child. I got some things, but usually after going back again and again to get skills like the cycling proficiency certificate, which I managed to fail three times before passing.

Ballet was another weak point, but I was not allowed to take the exams, so that was more of a flop than the cycling proficiency.

It was when my sister started working towards the Queen’s Guide award, that I decided that I wanted to shine the way she would when she achieved it, which she did. I had left guides by then, but the local youth club was doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award so I started with Bronze at the age of sixteen, and for the next four years worked through all three to attain the Gold.

I can’t say I did all of the activities well, I didn’t, but it inspired me to try other things I wouldn’t necessarily have done while languishing in my comfort zone.

Don’t get me wrong. I did many activities as a child, but the Duke of Edinburgh award made me confident enough to work harder. As a result, I have done a lot of things as an adult I would never have dreamed of doing otherwise.