Gillingham (Dorset) DofE Open Award Centre has been operated entirely by volunteers since Sept 2014 and has to be self-funding, as per our Young Friends of Gillingham DofE page.

Pics and posts on our Facebook page

140 young people are currently working on their Award at all levels, 101 have achieved an Award in the last year.

Full Awards, since 2003, are recorded on our Awards page.

The Award can now be started at the beginning of Year 9 (Bronze); the beginning of Year 10 (Silver), but its still your 16th birthday for Gold. Direct entry to Silver or Gold is possible. Expeditions for all levels are planned to be finished by the end of July in any year, but people can enrol any time and start on other sections.

Attendance: Here are the 2017-18 DofE Dates with further detail for each level. Training and Expedition dates are now booked with leaders for 2017-18, therefore we do not change them once published. Please check them against your own family calendars before signing up.

There is a regular Tues evening attendance expected from 4.15-5.45pm as below for each level This time is spent planning and completing prep for the assessment. It is mandatory

  • Golds, Oct-Dec, back in July ’18
  • Silvers Jan to Easter
  • Bronzes Mar to June .

Enrolment: 

People who couldn’t make it last Tues (12th) can still enrol, but places are filling up fast. We already have 39 Bronzes signed up! Make sure you bring signed enrolment and consent forms as well as the fee.

If you did a previous level it will need to have been verified as finished. Enrolment fee as per enrolment form and cheques made out to Gillingham DofE OAC

Presentation of finished Awards. Tues Sept 26th at Gillingham School 6.30 for 7pm. 

Other Dorset DofE Centres and schools delivering DofE under DCC are listed on DofE Dorset

Find out more about the DofE Award itself on The Award page.

The website is mobile friendly and updated frequently.

What’s Happening at Gillingham DofE OAC?

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Gillingham, Dorset is delivered under the DofE licence of Dorset County Council by Gillingham Open Award Centre (OAC). At this time we hire Tuesday evening space at Gillingham Youth Centre (BONES), Cemetery Rd, Gillingham, Dorset. SP8 4AZ