An inspirational group of young men have spent almost half a decade working towards the highest accolades in the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Awards.
When the Bradford teenagers first walked through the doors of Mary Magdalene CiC, youth worker Sharat Hussain promised he would take them to Buckingham Palace.
That vow is set to become reality in 2023 to meet Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
The church-based youth centre has taken the boys up to the nation’s highest peaks and spread the word about mental health through barbering.
Some members of the group have achieved every single DofE award – bronze, silver and gold – while others are still on the path.
Sharat told the Telegraph & Argus: “It’s four and a half years in the making. It was taking that journey.
“We’re trying to encourage more people from different backgrounds, different faiths, but more so it was about challenging people from BAME backgrounds. It’s about setting the standards to say DofE is possible.
“The Duke of Edinburgh Award is not just a piece of paper, it’s more than that. It’s confidence, it’s self esteem, building resilience, inspiring the future, looking at the different jobs they can get involved in.
“It’s an achievement they can be proud of for the rest of their life.
“Nobody can take that away. Hopefully that will empower the next generation to take part.
“The gold group in general, they’ve never been to Wales, Scotland, before. They took part in Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis. It was an opportunity to visit places they’ve never been before and experiences they would never imagine.”
It comes after an emotional celebration with the Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Martin Love earlier in December.
The awards evening left one parent with teary eyes.
Those who completed the silver and gold awards include Muhammed Ali Islam, Adam Faisal, Ajmaeen Arshard, Ali Husnain, Sameer Hussain, Fayzurrahman Khan, Ibraheem Hussain, Ismail Khan Ibrahim Mahmood and Numan Arian.
The DofE Certificate of Achievement was handed to Afshah Kousar, Mohammed Kasim Miah and Ismaeel Khan.
Those who completed the DofE Bronze award include Ava Backowski, Siam Hammad Asam, Ismail Faisal, Hammad Faisal, Mohammed Amin Hussain, Usman Iqbal, Salahuddin Abdul Jabber, Mustafa Shazad, Musa Shahzad and Ayman Soofi.
Any young people who might like to take part in the next round of DofE awards should contact the centre via social media or drop-in for information.
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