A STUDENT had a rendezvous with royalty yesterday, Thursday, after earning a prestigious gold award.

Richard Shewan, aged 21, of Monmouth Close, Woolston, was one of 800 young people who travelled to London to be presented with certificates marking the completion of Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The special ceremony took place at St James's Palace and was attended by HRH Prince Philip, the patron of the scheme.

Richard, a former Woolston High School pupil, began his gold award in 1996, after gaining his bronze and silver with the Air Training Corps.

The course, which was run by Warrington Borough Council, took three years to complete and included an advanced driving test with the Institute of Advanced Drivers.

He also took part in three expeditions, including a week in the Lake District, near Scarfell, in non stop rain.

Richard said: "I really enjoyed doing the award. It gave me the opportunity to work with lots of different people and provided a real challenge."

Richard recently earned a BA degree in Environmental Science and Information Systems and is studying for his MSc in Environmental Systems at Manchester Metropolitan University.

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