A FORMER Okehampton College student has been invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace to collect his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award today (Thursday).
Neil Long, 20, from Sticklepath, was not afraid to undertake the most challenging activities he could find to complete his award. He took part in an expedition to Mount Kenya and joined a residential project working with street children in Nairobi.
Neil also learned Spanish, at a school in Bolivia, and it was here he had the most hair-raising experience in pursuit of his award.
Neil said: ?During a day off from Spanish school, I took a mountain bike ride down ?The world?s most dangerous road? from La Paz to Coroico.
?After completing the 50-mile dirt track ride which descends from 4,700m to 1,200m above sea level with 1km sheer drops from the edge, I was told four people had died the previous week doing the same thing.?
Neil also undertook volunteer work at the Redvers Unit at Okehampton Hospital and learned to surf to complete his award. He has just completed his first year at Nottingham University, studying medicine.
Neil expressed thanks to all the people and organisations that had given their support throughout the stages of the bronze, silver and finally gold awards. He was especially grateful to the help he received from Ian Brooker, of Dartmoor National Park, and Rob Dean, Duke of Edinburgh co-ordinator for Okehampton College.