Five Keighley youngsters rubbed shoulders with the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party last week.

The group - members of the 2431 (Keighley) Squadron Air Training Corps - were all presented with Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Gordon Weatherall, 23, of Victoria Court, Robert Weatherall, 20, also of Victoria Court, James Minney, 22, of Greenacres, David Nicholls, 21, of Sandbeds and Catherine Bell, 20, of Fell Lane all completed the Bronze and Silver Sections of the award and had to complete their Gold tasks before their 25th birthday.

There are four tasks under the categories of Service, Expeditions, Skills and Physical Recreation.

The toughest challenge, according to their Air Corps Commanding Officer Flight Lieutenant David Ireland, is the 50-mile expedition. The cadets completed the other tasks individually but had to work as a team on the three-night expedition.

He says the Air Training Corps is one of the country's largest subscribers to the D of E Awards and feels it is attractive to potential employers.

James Minney and David Nicholl are currently training with London Metropolitan Police Force, Gordon Weatherall works in Skipton Building Society's network department, Robert Weatherall is a motor mechanic and Catherine Bell is a student at the University of Ripon.