FORMER Ulverston Victoria High School pupil James Rowland-Smith has been presented with a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award at St James's Palace in London.

Mr Rowland-Smith, 20, of Birch Tree Cottage, Low Nibthwaite, is studying at Southampton to be an officer in the Merchant Navy and to pass the award had to take part in a number of activities, which included serving as a Lake District warden and helping to organise outdoor pursuits for dis-advantaged children.

Mr Rowland-Smith said his most memorable experience while taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme was during an expedition to Cairngorms in Scotland, when the weather changed dramatically.

"We had torrential downpours which made map reading and compass work difficult," he said.