Duke of Edinburgh's Open Award Gold Group

Welcome! We're one of the few Open Award Groups in Scotland. Every year we bring together up to 20 young people from all over Inverness & surrounding areas. The best bit? We offer a fully funded scholarship programme which can bring the cost down to zero!

How do I get Involved?

Our next cohort is due to start September 2026 and will run until July 2027.

Interested but don't want to commit yet? Enquire here

Ready to commit?  Book & pay here
 

What Will You Learn?

DofE Gold is so much more than an outdoor programme - this isn't just about the expedition. It's about how you grow & change as a person over the year you are with us. It's a challenging programme, don't be in any doubt about that. You need to show real commitment and we are there to support you on the way and through every step of the five award sections - skill, physical, expedition, volunteering & residential.

You'll also get to know other likeminded young people who attend the sessions together with you. We'll meet once a month where we'll guide you through the award sections and you’ll meet folk from other schools or who are maybe already at college or in work. For the expeditions, our ethos is low cost and local. We go on foot and will be using trains & buses on the Qualifying expedition as a way to get into the hills. The focus is on you as a young adult coming along and doing your best with our support and input of our experienced and dedicated staff and volunteers.

What's the Age Range?

You need to be between 16-24 years old to join the programme.

How Much Does it Cost?

Deposit & Gold registration fee: £50
Programme fee: £460 (can be paid in two instalments)

Our fees cover:

- Two expeditions including all hillwalking & camping equipment.
- 'Boil in the bag' dinners for each night out camping.
- A total of 10 x training sessions to support participants with their eDofE sections (volunteering, skill, physical & residential).

Please also be aware that the following costs are not included in the expedition fee:

- Public transport to and from the expedition area for the qualifying expedition, if required.
- Breakfast, packed lunches and snacks during the expedition.

You can secure your place now by paying £50 only for the deposit and DofE registration fee. You can pay the two Expedition Fee instalments by the dates indicated on the booking instructions or if you prefer you can pay both instalments straight away.

For the first 18 months you're with us you will be directly mentored and supported through your Gold Award by our experienced and dedicated team. After your first 18 months (the minimum time to complete the Award) we will continue to provide support until your 25th birthday, if and when required.

If money is a barrier, we offer fully funded spaces for our programme. We just require a letter of support from an independent person (e.g. youth worker, Guidance teacher, GP). Please get in touch for further information. Note: We will still ask you to pay a deposit of £40, which covers the award registration fee, if this is a barrier, please contact us.

Where and when do we Meet?

Our open evenings and monthly meetings take part at Merkinch Welfare Hall, 30 Grant Street, Inverness, IV3 8BN.

Open evenings:
Thursday 3rd September 2026 6-7pm 
Thursday 17th September 2026 5-6pm 

Bookings will close on Thursday 24th September 2026!

Meeting dates & times:
Thu 24th September 6-8pm
Thu 29th October 6-8pm
Thu 26th November 6-8pm
No December meeting!
Thu 28th January 6-8pm
Thu 25th February 6-8pm
Thu 25th March 6-8pm
Thu 29th April 6-9pm
Thu 30th May 6-9pm
Thu 24th June 6-9pm

Attending the monthly meetings is mandatory - they play a key part in your DofE Gold journey and are essential to take part in the expeditions and to gain your Gold award. Please discuss with staff in advance if you cannot make any of the above dates. 

Expedition dates:
Practice expedition Mon 12th October to Thu 15th October 2026.
Qualifying expedition Fri 2nd July - Mon 5th July 2027. 

Please note that there is a presentation/celebration after the qualifying expedition that will be on Tuesday 6th July 2027. There is no flexibility on the expedition dates and attendance is mandatory! Check the dates carefully before committing, we cannot offer any alternative expedition dates.

Merkinch Welfare Hall

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