Award organisers defend safety record after prince's remarks

Published on Friday 30 October 2009 21:21

ORGANISERS of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme yesterday insisted it has an "exemplary safety record", after the Earl of Wessex suggested the risk of death attracts young people to take part.

Prince Edward was speaking in Australia after being asked about the death of Sydney teenager David Iredale in the Blue Mountains, near the city, three years ago.

The prince did not speak about that particular case, but remarked that interest in the scheme jumped after the death of another teenager in Britain several years ago.

Scheme organisers said in a statement: "The Duke of Edinburgh's Award has an exemplary safety record and has no record of a death of a DofE participant in the UK as a direct result of their DofE expedition. Over 182,000 participants in the UK do an expedition each year."

Prince Edward had been asked about the 17-year-old, who died in December 2006 after getting lost during a three-day hike.

The coroner said the boy died from severe dehydration as a result of a miscalculation of the amount of water he and two friends would need for the trip. David Iredale believed the walk would count towards his silver award.

The prince told The Australian newspaper: "Suddenly the award, which was new … (its] reputation among young people was, 'Wow, this is serious. You could die doing this'.

"Obviously we don't want that to happen … we give them the skills to go out there and do it safely and constructively. It was just that psychology."