Welcome to Our New Website!

We’re delighted to announce that the new Timperley DofE Award Centre website has launched today!

Our website has served us well for a number of years, but as the Centre has grown, we wanted to create something that feels more modern, is easier to use and gives us much more flexibility for the future.

The new website has a fresh, modern look and feel and has been designed to make it easier for participants, parents and volunteers to quickly find the information they need — whether that’s key dates, expedition information, training resources, kit hire, volunteering opportunities or the latest news from the Centre.

One of the biggest improvements is our registration process. The new site gives us much more flexibility to manage registrations online and will allow us to provide a much more seamless experience when registration opens for each new DofE season.

There are plenty of improvements behind the scenes too. The new website is much more customisable, making it easier for our volunteer team to keep information up to date, add new features and adapt the site as the Centre continues to develop.

The new site also gives us:

• Clearer navigation so information is easier to find

• A better experience on mobile phones and tablets, particularly useful when checking information while out and about

• Improved access to key dates and expedition information

• A better home for news and updates from across Bronze, Silver and Gold

• A platform we can continue to develop, adding new online services and features in the future

• A simpler way to keep information current, helping participants and parents find the latest information in one place

Timperley DofE has grown significantly since the Centre was established in 2015, and our new website is another step in making sure the way we support our young people, parents and volunteers develops with us.

We hope you enjoy exploring the new site. Take a look around and let us know what you think!

Welcome to the new DofE Timperley website.

We are pleased to announce that Timperley DofE Award Centre has partnered with Excel Outdoors as our Approved Activity Provider (AAP) for expeditions during the 2026 programme year.

Excel Outdoors is an experienced Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expedition provider and will deliver expedition training, practice expeditions and qualifying expeditions for our Bronze, Silver and Gold participants this year.

Through this partnership, Excel Outdoors will support our young people by providing:

• Expedition training and preparation

• Practice and qualifying expeditions

• Experienced expedition leaders and assessors

• Expedition equipment where required

• Safety management and risk assessments in line with DofE standards

This partnership ensures our participants benefit from high-quality expedition delivery, experienced leadership and strong safety management, helping them gain the most from this important part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award journey.

The expedition programme for this year includes:

• Bronze Expeditions – June 2026

• Silver Expeditions – May and June 2026

• Gold Expeditions – April to July 2026

While Excel Outdoors will deliver the expedition section, Timperley DofE Award Centre will continue to support participants across the other elements of the Award, including Volunteering, Physical and Skills sections, ensuring a well-rounded and rewarding experience for all participants.

We are excited to work with Excel Outdoors and look forward to seeing our participants develop new skills, confidence and teamwork through their expeditions this year.

Further information about expeditions will be shared with participants and parents in advance of each event.

To mark Volunteers’ Week earlier this month, DofE released the annual Volunteering Hours certificates, showcasing the incredible social value of the volunteering your participants do as part of their DofE, please see all the hours our members at Timperley DofE Centre have achieved.

Well done to the 2 Groups that completed their Gold Practice Expedition at the end of April, in the Lake District. They all worked well in their groups, showing great navigation skills and are now busy planning for their qualifier.

We were lucky enough to have a gang of Gold Award winners all attending Buckingham Palace this year. They met with Prince Edward who spent a long time speaking to all the award winners.

Well done to all of the groups that completed the Silver Qualifier at the beginning of July. It was not an easy weekend to do it as the weather really kept everyone on their toes. We had a lot of rain on the first couple of days and lots of wind on the second couple of days. Overall everyone did really well to finish.

Below are pictures of all of the groups at the end of the expedition. 3 days of doing 15-20km and 2 nights camping in wet conditions had taken their toll so it was nice that the majority could muster up a smile.

On Monday 20th March, we had a really good turnout for the kit night. Martin talked through all the requirements for kit for the season, and Louise talked through what happens in terms of group kit and how to hire personal kit, if required.

Thanks to all of Bronze and Silver who attended. If you want some further information, then have a look under the Expeditions section on the website.

We had our launch event for 2023 on Sunday 2nd October 2022.

We had two separate talks at 3:30pm and 5:30pm and we were full for both of them. Thank you to all of you that attended.

We had Matt Woodcock from the DofE in attendance, and between him, Emma (our Centre Manager) and Martin (Bronze Expedition Manager) they explained all about the Duke of Edinburgh award, what the different levels are and also what the processes are for registering at the centre, the costs and the dates for 2023. Andy also said a few words about the centre and the costs for next year.

We also explained about the volunteer led nature of the centre, and the fact that it is important that people put their names forward for volunteering. We are having a Volunteer Evening on Mon 17th October for anyone interesting in offering their support. It is important that the centre can continue to provide the support to the local area going forward and that is one of the factors in determining who we offer our places to.

There were lots of people registering and as usual we are over subscribed for 2023, particularly in Bronze. We were also oversubscribed for Silver as well which shows that the demand for this award is always growing in the local area.

Another expedition weekend is over and another 37 children, who did an amazing job to navigate 3 days of walking, in some challenging conditions (both terrain and weather) have completed the expedition section of their DofE qualifications.

We started out in a car park in Bentham, Lancashire where the groups arrived full of excitement and energy, eager to get out on the trails and start their expedition.  Day 1 was a gentle introduction to what was to come.  The weather held out and, despite the weather forecast, we had a warm but overcast day.  Perfect for hiking around the North Yorkshire Dales.

The groups all arrived safely late in the afternoon into Dalesbridge Centre campsite near the lovely village of Austwick and quickly established camp.  Soon the campsite was buzzing with activity as groups cooked their meals and spent time catching up with each other on the day’s antics.

And then it all changed… come 8pm, thankfully after most people had finished cooking and eating their tea, the clouds rolled in, the sky darkened, and the rain started to fall.  This led to a mass retreat from the groups who all disappeared into their tents and holed up for the night, while the rain continued to fall, hoping that Saturday would bring the sun back.

As the camp emerged on Saturday morning it appeared the kids' wishes had been granted, despite the relentless rain through the night, Saturday morning was grey but dry and we all managed to have breakfast and decamp in relative calm.  That was where it all ended, and the moment the groups set out on day 2 of their expedition the heavens opened and it absolutely tipped it down!!!  And it continued to rain, and rain, and rain for the majority of the morning and into the early afternoon.  There’s nothing like a soggy, wet, sandwich on top of a hill in the Dales!

Thankfully, by the time the teams arrived into Craig Hill Farm campsite near Horton in Ribble, the rain had exhausted itself and the sky started to clear.  The groups were able to pitch in the warm afternoon sun which went on to provide fantastic late afternoon and evening weather.  This allowed the children to really enjoy the experience of camping on DofE, spending time socialising with friends, making new friends and inventing games to pass the time together in the camp field.  At one point we had a medley of primary school activity underway with wheelbarrow races, three legged races and bunny hop relays.  Absolutely brilliant to see the children inventing ways to pass them time on their own.

As is often the case, everyone rose early on day 3, keen to get going promptly and get underway towards the finish line.  The groups snaked south from the campsite, with routes either side of the River Ribble, but all heading towards the collection point in Settle.  The weather decided to do mashup of the last 2 days, with periods through the day of sun, rain & grey skies.  But this wasn’t enough to stop our groups, who all arrived in Settle on time and in high spirits.  (ok, the last point was a little exaggeration, as several of the groups were just glad it was over!).

We have completed our Silver Practice Expedition for 2022.

Day 1

On the first morning, the weather seemed bright and everyone got away on time after meeting their leaders and having had the initial briefing. One group managed to come back to the start point within about 30 minutes which proved their navigation skills needed some work, but they soon got off on their way again.

Generally on the first day the weather was good. The groups had a long way to travel and the travelling was through quite remote areas. Many of our leaders walked with the groups on the first day, training them on some of hte basic navigation skills and also helping them when they were lost.

Everyone got to the campsite in daylight and with time to spare. Tents were put up and some training given on how to use the stoves. The evening was cold and damp but everyone was in good spirits and enjoyed some time sitting around in groups.

Day 2

The second morning, as per the previous evening, was a bit wet and this meant that packing up tents was tricky. It was also a bit foggy and the groups needed to work hard to navigate and stay warm through the first hour or so of the morning. The afternoon was much better though and everyone made it to the campsite in good time for a hot meal and a relaxing evening with their friends. It was a long day and most would have walked close to 20km with their equipment so there were a few aching muscles and tired limbs but very few complaints.

Everyone had to go through one particular location where there was a pub so all the leaders enjoyed one drink together waiting for the groups to pass.

Day 3

The third day stayed dry and everyone was up and out reasonably early to make their way to the end point in time for their pickup at 3pm.

Everyone did really well and eveyone appears to be well prepared for their Qualifier expedition in early July. Well done to everyone involved both as particpants and to those volunteer leaders that work hard to support the groups through the 3 days.

The Expedition Kit Night was held at the centre last night. There was really good attendance from all bronze and silver direct participants. Martin went through the details of the equipment needed for the expedition, covering both group and personal kit. Peter covered the process of hiring and collection / return of personal and group kit.

Useful links -

Our website -  https://dofetimperley.org.uk/expeditions/Kit Hire page - https://dofetimperley.org.uk/hire-kit/ Training dates/expeditions - https://dofetimperley.org.uk/dates/DofE interactive kit list - https://www.dofe.org/shopping/dofe-expedition-kit-list/

If you have any questions please let reach out to your expedition manager.

This Information Sheet is being circulated to all members and parents to keep you up to date with the work of our centre and to advise of arrangements for our 2021/22 season.

Firstly we would like to congratulate our members at all levels who have successfully competed both their Certificate of Achievement and their full Awards. All expeditions are now complete and we just have the Gold Presentations to arrange (a separate email will be issued to Gold members and parents to explain arrangements for this).

Centre Manager

As noted in an earlier communication our current Centre Manager, Andy Allan, has moved to Norfolk and is therefore stepping down from the role. Andy will continue to be involved as Chair of the Trustees.

We are pleased to confirm that Emma Deighton Brown has been appointed by the Trustees as Centre Manager. Emma is currently our eDofE Manager and we wish Emma well in her new role. Emma can be contacted at : emma.db@dofetimperley.org.uk

2021 / 22 Season

We are currently finalising arrangements for the 2021 / 22 season, and we have a number of vacancies on our volunteer team. These vacancies will need to be filled before we can progress with the final planning for each level. In particular the most critical of these roles to fill is the eDofE Manager. The eDofE Manager will need to be in place before we can register students for the next level of the Award and activities cannot be backdated.

2021 / 22 Registration

As in previous years everyone will be required to register their interest by completing a registration form using this link: https://forms.gle/zEkaFhQwi5pJBsjm9

Once the form is complete it will generate a Consent Form which will be emailed to the parent’s email address. Please follow the instructions on the email which will explain where to send a signed copy of the Consent Form and how to make payment of the Registration Fee (£50).

We have not increased the fees for a number of years but due to increasing costs we are currently reviewing our pricing and will advise the updated rates for expeditions by email in the coming weeks and at the Open Afternoon.

It is important to emphasise that the cost of taking part in the Award should never be a barrier to taking part and if you need help with the cost of the Award please approach Andy Allan (Chair of Trustees) or Roz Swarbrick (Treasurer) in confidence. We have a funding in place to provide support where it is needed.

2021 / 22 Open Afternoon – Sunday 14th November 5pm

Whilst we would have liked to hold the Open Afternoon in person at AKRFC given the rise in coronavirus infections in Trafford, and the fact that it worked well as a Teams call last year, we have decided to use Teams again for this years Open Afternoon.

A link to the Teams Meeting will be included in the email generated on completion of the Registration Form. The Teams Meeting will take place on Sunday 14th November at 5pm

It is not essential for existing members and their parents to attend the Open Afternoon but given that our Bronze cohort for 2020/21 were unable to complete expeditions this year we do recommend that if you are moving onto Silver you attend the Open Afternoon as a refresher on the arrangements for expedition training and completion.

We always prioritise offering places to our existing members who are moving up to the next level. Please feel free to share the link to the registration page to others who may be interested in joining our centre.

Volunteer Vacancies

As noted above we have a number of vacancies in our volunteer team. We are always on the look out for people who enjoy the outdoors and are able to join the Expedition team, but in addition this year we are particularly keen to hear from anyone who can help with a number of management and administrative roles as follows:

eDofE ManagereDofE MentorsBronze Expedition Planning CoordinatorsGold Expedition Planning Coordinators

Please refer to the job descriptions on the following page for further information and contact Emma emma.db@dofetimperley.org.uk if you are interested in any of these roles.

We are also looking for volunteers to help with the equipment stores including assistance with equipment checks/audit before the new season starts and helping the existing stores team on the kit collection and return nights for the expeditions (on a rota). If you are interested in this role please contact Louise Hayward : louise.hayward@dofetimperley.org.uk

Awards Presentation

In March 2020 we had to cancel arrangements for our Annual Awards Presentation evening at which we present the Bronze and Silver Certificates and pin badges to those completing their Gold Award (they receive a separate invitation to the St James Palace for their Certificate presentation). We will review the position in January 2022 and hope to re-introduce the Annual Awards evening in the Spring of 2022.

Volunteer Job Descriptions

eDofE Manager

Setting up participants on eDofe systemAllocation of participants to groups & amending where neededMoving up levels on eDofESection approvalsAssessor report approvalsAssisting with drop in sessions to advise participants how to complete eDofeAnswering emails from your groups with queriesMain point of contact for any eDofE questions

eDofE Mentors

Section approvals, when submitted for checkingAssessor report approvals & evidence checkingAssisting with drop-in sessions to advise participants how to complete eDofeAnswering emails from your groups with queries with regards to eDofEChecking all candidates sections are up to date

Expedition Planning Coordinators *

Assist with the administration for the section, liaising with the expedition/training leadersOrganise participants into groups and keep the eDofe Mgr informed of any changesUpdate volunteers on training nights & expeditions to check availabilityBooking campsitesCollection of routes proposed by groups for practice and qualifying expeditions and approval by AAP (Gold Level only)Liaising with stores, to book collection & return dates and advise group dynamics for equipment prior to collectionPrinting and sorting of consent forms in advance of expeditionsLiaise with the Treasurer to provide a list of all Expedition attendees and advise of any changes or late additions, to ensure that all expedition fees can be collected in advance

* Coordinators required for Bronze and Gold Award level

Bronze Practice : 5-6th June & 26-27th June

There will be no camping on the practice expedition, members will return home in the evening. Members of our 2020 cohort who have asked to complete both the Bronze and Silver expeditions must be available for training on 5-6th June. All other members will be split between the two weekends depending on leader availability. If you are unable to make one of these weekends you must let Andy Allan know as soon as possible

Bronze Qualifier: 11-12th September

We will advise whether it is possible to camp nearer the time.

Silver Practice : 12-13th June

There will be no camping on the practice expedition, members will return home in the evening.

Silver Qualifier : 9-11th July

The qualifier will include overnight camping.

Expedition Groups

Expedition groups will need to be re-organised to take account of member preferences and ‘bubbles’ to limit unnecessary mixing of schools and groups.

Assessors Reports

One of the most common reasons that our eDofE team have to query Assessors Reports is because they do not contain all of the information required for our internal (and external) review processes. The checklist below shows the elements that must be included in an Assessors Report as a minimum. You may find it useful to advise your Assessor of these requirements so that they can ensure they are included in their report:

Fiona Buckley

Thankyou to everyone for your kind words about Fiona. In our last Information Sheet we omitted to note that Fiona has three daughters, Hannah, Rachel and Lucy. Our leadership team is discussing ways we can pay tribute and remember Fiona, further details will follow.

eDofE Groups & Mentors

The eDofE team can be contacted on the following email addresses:

Ambleside - Emma Deighton Brown - emma.db@dofetimperley.org.ukKeswick - Sarah Newton - sarah.newton@dofetimperley.org.ukWindermere - Anouska Ward - anouska.ward@dofetimperley.org.ukConiston - Charlotte Skitterall - charlotte.skitterall@dofetimperley.org.ukLangdale - Liz Stagg - liz.stagg@dofetimperley.org.ukGrasmere - Michelle Ball - michelle.ball@dofetimperley.org.uk

Please note that the deadline for approval of plans has now been extended to 31st May 2021.

We held a launch event for the 2021 season on Thursday 12th November at 7.30pm.

Normally we would hold this event in person at the centre, but due to the current circumstances we held this event remotely.

At this event, we covered the following information

IntroductionDofE Award SectionsExpeditionsCosts / Registration ProcessQuestions

In these challenging times we hope that our DofE members, parents and families are all in good health and adapting to the new ways of living and working. Apologies for the delay in providing an update from our Centre, we have been waiting to see how the easing of lockdown restrictions would impact our plans for this year.

Expedition Arrangements

Over recent weeks we have been exploring whether it will be possible to recommence expedition activity this year. We would like to be able to undertake modified practice expeditions at Bronze and Silver level, subject to leader availability and above all compliance with government guidance on social distancing and coronavirus mitigation measures, documented in Risk Assessments.

In order to do this we intend to limit the number of days and not to undertake camping at present. Unfortunately this means that at Gold level we are not yet able to re-introduce expedition activity because we feel that it is important for the Gold Award to include camping and we are not in a position to do this yet.

For Bronze, it is hoped that the Practice expeditions can take place on 3rd & 4th October (Stream 1), 10th & 11th October (Stream 2) and 17th & 18th October (Stream 3). Unfortunately we cannot offer alternate dates for the practice expeditions other than those allocated to each stream.

For Silver, it is hoped that the Practice expeditions can take place on 3rd & 4th October (Stream 1) and 17th & 18th October (Stream 2). Unfortunately we cannot offer alternate dates for the practice expeditions other than those allocated to each stream.

Following the guidance issued by government  over the past 24 hours we have made the decision to suspend all DofE activities until further notice.

I am sure you will understand that we have made this decision because of our duty of care to all our Members, volunteers and leaders and a desire to keep everyone safe.At the moment we do not know how long we will be cancelling our activities for.  If necessary we can reschedule expeditions so that they take place in the autumn.  Once there is more news on the effect of the measures put in place and a timetable for the resumption of normal life we will issue a revised timetable.For further and up to date information please refer to Public Health England advice:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england

This is a difficult time for everyone and we sincerely hope you all stay safe and well.Best wishes to you all and we hope to see you before too longAndy & the DofE Team

We had over 300 people come to visit us at the launch event this year. Our demand for bronze was so high that we decided to add an extra stream.