Cerys Little, a sixth-former at Honiton Community College, rubbed shoulders with royalty and even an Olympic hero after arriving at Buckingham

A Honiton student has taken a visit to the capital to collect her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE).

Cerys Little, a sixth-former at Honiton Community College, rubbed shoulders with royalty and even an Olympic hero after arriving at Buckingham Palace to receive her award.

She said: “ Once I had I registered we had time to look around before the official ceremony.

“I also did a bit of celebrity spotting and met Olympic long jumper Greg Rutherford, the Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward.

“I then got presented our certificate by impressionist Jon Culshaw.

“The day was truly fantastic with only a select few people of my age having had the privilege to be invited to Buckingham Palace and it is something I will never forget.”

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is the world’s leading youth achievement award,

The scheme lets young people push their personal boundaries, gain new skills and enhance their CVs and university applications.

Cerys added: “DofE has been an incredible experience and has given me lots of opportunities which I never thought I would even do with volunteering - to hiking in Italy for four days to even going to the Palace.

“DofE has helped me develop numerous skills which have allowed me to hopefully go to Lancaster University in September to start my degree as well as giving me some memories which I will never forget.”