Residentials at Gold

Find out where to look for a Gold Residential and what will count.

To achieve your Gold Award, you need to complete an extra section – the Residential.  This involves spending 5 days and 4 nights away from home on a shared activity in a group of people who have never met each other before, all in the same role and aiming to achieve shared objectives. You also have to be in shared accommodation – bunkhouse, hostel, camping, dormitory…………Viking longhouse………

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It’s a big, exciting and very fulfilling experience that you will never forget.  It may be that you want to build on a talent you’ve developed in another section, learn something completely new on an intensive course or do something to help others.  From learning to snowboard in Scotland to helping at a children’s camp; working with the National Trust to helping on an urban recycling project; learning French in Paris to sailing a tall ship, there are loads of exciting possibilities to find the activity that’s just right for you.

There are specific criteria you must fulfil, see the Residential guide here, but the opportunities are wide ranging in all respects, including cost.

Dorset offers two amazing and unique Residentials at each of the County’s Outdoor Education Centres during the summer. Read about them below and contact us for more details and booking form.

Ancient Technology at the ATC, in Cranborne.

Dorset Council, Ancient Technology Gold Residential Mon 25 to Fri 29 July 2022. £345

Our amazing venue, set in the heart of Cranborne Chase near Salisbury, is second to none when it comes to a unique residential experience. Participants learn so many new skills during their week with us; skills that will last you a lifetime.

Your accommodation will be in our Viking Longhouse, a fully authentic reconstruction (amongst many on site) in which you will eat, sleep and socialise.  During the week you will explore traditional construction methods of prehistoric buildings, from the Stone Age through to the Anglo Saxon/Viking era whilst also participating in a range of fun activities such as archery, making rope, blacksmithing, cooking over an open fire, fire making and many more.

And who does not like a good story being told around a fire after a hard day of work. Tales of bygone days, battles and folklore!

Places are limited so contact us to book early and avoid disappointment. Please go to Duke of Edinburgh Award (ancienttechnologycentre.com)

Field Studies at Leeson House, Langton Matravers.

Conservation and Ecology – Gold DofE Residential near Swanage. Late August 2023 (2022 price was £330)

Leeson House Field Studies Centre is a secluded and comfortable manor house situated close to the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.

The week will include activities such as conservation work; bird ringing, small mammal recording and moth trapping. One morning will be spent rock pooling and looking at marine ecology and fossils at Kimmeridge bay. Another day finding out about heathland and sand dune ecology followed by kayaking over the sea grass meadows towards Old Harry Rocks. There will also be a night under the stars and a beach BBQ to round off the Gold Residential in style. It will be supported by staff from Dorset Council Outdoor Education Service and DofE Volunteers. Leeson House is the premier Field Studies base in Dorset and is close to many classic geography, geology and biology fieldwork sites and set within 7 acres of inspiring and diverse grounds.

More information and contact details can be found here, within a website that will tell you all about Leeson House: Duke of Edinburgh – Leeson House

To save costly mistakes and disappointment potential choices should be agreed by the DofE Manager and an approval form is below

RESOURCES:

Residential FAQs………….

Choosing a Residential

Gold Residential Application for Approval Form

The DofE Opportunity Finder is here, where opportunities can be filtered as you wish.

More information about what each OE Centre can offer is found here.