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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong>Read more<\/p>\n Duke of Edinburgh\u2019s Award (DofE) alumni and others are being encouraged to share their experiences of the popular scheme in celebration of the charity\u2019s 70th anniversary.<\/p>\n Double Olympic champion Dame<\/a> Kelly Holmes and TV chef Matt Tebbutt are two of the celebrities who have reminisced about their efforts earning the coveted bronze, silver or gold honours when younger.<\/p>\n Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, DofE chairwoman of trustees, whose daughter Carys achieved her gold award last year, said: \u201cIn seven decades of the DofE charity, we\u2019ve learned that there\u2019s no limit to what young people can achieve when they are given the right opportunities, even when external circumstances are tough.<\/p>\n \u201cOur founder HRH Prince Philip<\/a> once said, \u2018There is more in you than you might think\u2019 and the DofE helps young people realise this.\u201d<\/p>\n The former paralympic icon added: \u201cAs we celebrate 70 years of the Duke of Edinburgh\u2019s Award, we\u2019re recognising DofE participants past and present, and the incredible volunteers who make their journey possible \u2014 we\u2019d love anyone with a connection to the charity to celebrate with us by sharing their memories on DofE.org.\u201d<\/p>\n The late Duke of Edinburgh<\/a> founded his eponymous awards scheme in 1956 to help teenage boys leaving school develop life skills and confidence by completing tasks before entering National Service, and it has grown into a youth achievement programme both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n During\u00a0the past 70 years more than 2.5 million young people in the UK have achieved a bronze award, 886,000 silver, and 353,000 gold, while overseas 1.2 million 14 to 24-year-olds participated in the scheme last year.<\/p>\n To mark the 70th anniversary, the DofE charity has released never-before-seen items from its archive, including Philip\u2019s annotated draft speech for his segment in The Way Ahead \u2014 the first DofE promotional film, released in 1958.<\/p>\n