Royal coin for Moray Council Duke of Edinburgh's Awards manager Karen Delaney
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A MORAY Council manager is one of only three people in Scotland to receive royal recognition for her decades of dedication in supporting local young people to achieve Duke of Edinburgh's Awards (DofE).
Karen Delaney, a strategic partnership and policy officer, has supported DofE for 37 years, both in her role within the council but also as a volunteer.
Karen developed and supported the Moray Local Awards Committee, now the Moray DofE Committee. She was integral in developing the volunteer support programme across Moray, has worked with young people to celebrate the diamond anniversary of the DofE with the Stones Project, and is working on the DofE Legacy project.
Her support of the DofE means young people have opportunities to take on challenges, discover skills and passions and develop confidence, resilience and self-belief.
Karen is one of a small group of volunteers to receive a personal letter of commendation from the Earl of Wessex, a DofE trustee, and a commemorative coin marking the life and legacy of the Duke of Edinburgh, the DofE's patron. The coins were donated by the Royal Mint.
Some 50 coin recipients, including Karen, were selected to reflect various different roles, successes and activities on behalf of more than 45,000 people delivering DofE across the UK.
Many have given decades to supporting young people, while others have gone above and beyond to make sure young people can continue their DofE despite personal challenges or the effects of the pandemic.
Karen will donate her coin for a local display as part of her legacy project work.
She said: "I'm thrilled to receive this personal honour and want to share it with inspirational DofE staff and volunteers who I've been lucky enough to work and volunteer with over many years in Highland, Perth and Kinross and Moray.
"It's fantastic that a coin is coming home to Moray – where DofE started.
"The coin will be available for everyone to see in the DofE corner at the Fochabers Folk Museum and Heritage Centre in the new season."
Council convener Cllr Shona Morrison added: "Karen's lengthy dedication to giving young people in Moray opportunities and experiences that will stay with them throughout their lives deserves this timely recognition.
"We're fortunate to have staff like Karen giving their all to a role focused on improving the lives of young people in Moray – but for her to volunteer to continue this outside of work shows her strength of character.
"We're extremely grateful for all her efforts and I hope, through this national recognition, she appreciates how inspirational she is too."
DofE chief executive Ruth Marvel said: "If young people are the heart of our organisation, volunteers are the lungs, breathing life into our programmes, changing the lives of young people so that they have the confidence and resilience to deal with whatever life might have in store.
"At a time when so many young people are facing unprecedented challenges, DofE volunteers are instrumental in helping them to regain a sense of purpose, possibility and control over their futures.
"Thank you to everyone in the DofE volunteer family who has helped support so many young people through the most difficult of times."
