Before the half-term holidays, Mr Thompson attended a Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 70th Gold Awards Ceremony for the Duke of Edinburgh. As the Duke of Edinburgh representative of Sandhill View, he travelled down to London alongside Southmoor’s Miss Bliss who runs their DofE programme. Also attending the Garden Party were celebrities such as David Seaman MBE, Dame Kelly Holmes, Vikram Singh (Vikkstar from the Sidemen) and of course, the Duke of Edinburgh himself (Prince Edward).

The palace gardens were busy all afternoon with brass bands playing music, speeches from the celebrities, HRH Prince Edward taking a royal walk through the gardens and of course Mr Thompson taking a visit to the tea tent for a cupcake and cup of tea. It was fantastic weather for the occasion, and it was amazing to see many of the young people that have completed the DofE Gold award this year and hear their stories.