PRINCE Philip's sense of adventure will live on through the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The Duke's spirit of adventure and love of outdoor activities will live on in the organisation he founded in 1956. 

The iconic awards are designed to attract young people between the ages of 14 and 24 who are unlikely to join other youth-based organisations such as the Scouts.

The scheme was based on the philosophy of the educator Dr Kurt Hahn who founded Gordonstoun, in Scotland - Prince Philip's and laterly Prince Charles' old school.

In its first year 7,000 boys joined the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and in 1958 the first girls participated - by 1975 one million youngsters had taken part in the DofE awards.

Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Reporter:

Philip hosts the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award gold award presentations at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down (Brian Lawless/PA)

Now the organisation, which states its aims to inspire and support young people from diverse backgrounds and equip them as individuals to succeed in life, operates in 144 countries.

This year the awards scheme will celebrate 65 years of giving youngsters the opportunity to develop and grow.

Speaking during a TV documentary to commemorate the 60th anniversary in 2016, the Duke said: “Children come into the world completely ignorant with no experience. At least this gives them some idea of what life is like.”

Duke of Edinburgh Awards: The vision

To reach more young people from diverse backgrounds and equip them as individuals to succeed in life.

To inspire, guide and support young people in their self-development and recognise their achievements.

Guiding principles

The DofE scheme strives to achieve its mission through personal development programmes and the assessment and presentation of Awards. The DofE in the UK is proud to be part of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, which oversees DofE programmes in over 140 countries worldwide.

All of the programmes are driven by the following 10 guiding principles, which are at the heart of the scheme.

• Non-competitive

• Achievable by all

• Voluntary

• Personal development

• Personalised

• Balanced

• Progressive

• Achievement focused

• Demand commitment

• Enjoyable