Emily Midgley, a 17-year-old student at Haslingden High School and Sixth Form, refused to let a knee injury prevent her from completing the challenging Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. A member of the Irwell Explorers Scouts in Bacup, Emily undertook the award alongside her Scouting friends. At this year’s Rossendale Scouts St George’s Day Parade, she was presented with her Gold award and a BTEC in Community Development Teamwork.
Her knee condition, patella dysplasia, meant she could not participate in the parade through Bacup’s Stubbylee Park and instead collected her awards while on crutches. The Gold Award comprises four disciplines: skill, physical, volunteering, and an expedition. For skill, Emily served as technical support for theatre performances; for physical, she qualified as a lifeguard; and for volunteering, she continued as a Beaver Leader at 38th Rossendale, Cloughfold.
The fourth discipline required a four-day expedition, preceded by a practice hike. Both involved hiking 20 kilometers each day while carrying a pack, but the challenge was adapted to accommodate Emily’s condition. She explained, “I did the expedition with my best friend Maddy Harrison and I had a good supportive group around me. I was also able to carry a lighter pack than the others.”
Emily began experiencing knee problems over a year ago but only received a diagnosis of patella dysplasia in December. At its worst, she requires a wheelchair or crutches and undergoes intense physiotherapy twice a week for two hours. She may need surgery. Despite this, she said, “It is a bit exhausting and my right knee is the worst.” However, Emily does not let her condition define her. She has nearly completed her King’s Scout Award and is looking forward to earning her Explorer Belt.
Alongside other Explorer Scouts from Blackburn and Pendle, she will undertake a 100-kilometer adventure across the Netherlands and Germany, completing challenges along the way. During the group’s mock expedition, they had to push Emily in a wheelchair because her knees were painful. She recounted, “We set off from Blackburn and had to find our way to a campsite in Merseyside. Then the next day we had to get to Southport and complete some challenges then back to the campsite. Then we had to get to Ormskirk. They had to push me around in a wheelchair, but they all supported me.”
The group will travel to Europe during the summer holidays to complete their Explorer Belt, which requires a log of their adventures and a presentation to earn the award. Emily, who is studying Theatre Studies, Criminology, and Religious Studies at A-Level, plans to pursue a degree in Live Events, Theatre and Festival Production at Bath Spa University and eventually become a sound designer for theatre and live events.
