A SCHOOL in Penarth was treated to a royal visit this week.

Stanwell welcomed Prince Edward on Wednesday, September 28 as part of his visit to Wales to mark the 60th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh awards.

Stanwell School has the largest number of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) awards enrolments of any secondary school in Wales with more than 500 young people working towards a bronze, silver or gold Award.

The school has also recently delivered a bespoke young leader programme so that 24 students can support the delivery of the awards in school and in the community.

The Earl of Wessex arrived at just after 3pm and was greeted by senior staff and a host of students who lined the playground to meet him.

Seren Marsh, who has completed the training, said: "The Young Leaders programme has greatly improved my leadership skills and confidence. 

"I thoroughly enjoyed the training weekends as part of the Young Leaders course and can’t wait to begin leading a DofE group.

"We participated in team building activities which will then be used to help deliver part of the DofE programme after school to the Bronze participants."

“We are excited to be celebrating 60 years of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

"It’s clear that the DofE Charity is an integral part of life at Stanwell School and it has played an invaluable role in the development of thousands of young people." 

"An enormous thanks must be given to the staff who work tirelessly to ensure that every DofE Participant and Young Leader makes the most of this opportunity”

Chloe Parselle, who recently began working towards Gold Award said: "I began volunteering for my Silver Award in September 2014 at a care home.

"I decided to continue as the placement is an important part of my university application for medicine, which requires experience in a care environment.

"I’m grateful for the opportunity, as I would not have had this valuable experience if I hadn’t started volunteering here first as part of my DofE award."

During the visit The Earl took part in a team building exercise led by the young award leaders and also made a presentation of certificates to other local schools running the DofE.

One pupil, Louis Foscolo said: "It's cool to meet the prince because we are one of the biggest participating schools in Wales so it is a big opportunity for us."

Participants from Stanwell School also performed in a public showcase at the Wales Millennium Centre, where they performed a medley of songs from Disney to Coldplay.

Following this, they took part in a special Diamond Challenge event at Cardiff International White Water Centre, where they braved rapids and a high ropes course to raise funds to support the Duke of Edinburgh awards in Wales.