Duke of Edinburgh award winners featured regularly on the Oxford Mail news pages.

Some young people attended ceremonies at Oxford Town Hall, while others had the privilege of a visit to Buckingham Palace as in Picture 1.

They were, left to right, Janice Wright and Lesley Venn, deputy head girl and head girl at Cheney Girls’ Grammar School at Headington, Helen Vale, senior prefect at Milham Ford School, Marston, Susan Bannister, who worked in the drawing office at Oxford Regional Hospital Board, and Judy Bedford, a clerk in the city council treasurer’s department.

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They were among 789 young people who received their awards from the Duke of Edinburgh in 1964.

Picture 2 dates from 1965 when award winners at Buckingham Palace included two from Oxford - Nicholas Marsh, left, of Elms Drive, Old Marston, and Derek Tomlinson, of Burdell Avenue, Sandhills, Headington.

(Image: Oxford Mail) A major presentation also took place at Oxford Town Hall that year when the recipients included those in Picture 3.

On that occasion, 130 boys were handed awards - 10 gold, 55 silver and 65 bronze - by Royal Navy Commander D L Cobb in the presence of the Lord Mayor, Alderman Kathleen Lower.

The four Oxford girls in Picture 4 received their gold awards from the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in 1975.

They were, left to right, sisters Wendy and Pippa Bush, of Banbury Road, Oxford, and sisters Karen and Marilyn Rodgers, of Bagley Close, Kennington.

As you will see, Karen attended the ceremony with her arm in a sling - she had been looking after a group of Brownies at a camp at Jubilee House, near Beckey, when she fell and injured her elbow.

Visitors to Buckingham Palace also included the group in Picture 5 - they received their awards from the Duke in 1968.

They were Jeremy Bouse, of Fanshawe Place, Cowley; David Hill, of Cedar Road, Botley; John Leneham, of Oxford Road, Kidlington; David McHugh, of Divinity Road, Oxford; John Mastroddi, of Campbell Road, Cowley; Peter Morgan, of Littlehay Road, Cowley; Barry Robinson, of Maltfield Road, Oxford; John Steepe, of Fernhill Road, Cowley; Bernard Todd, of Cavendish Road, Summertown; and Roy Tuttle, of Ladenham Road, Blackbird Leys.

Picture 6 shows Percy Bickerton, Oxford organiser of the scheme, chatting to gold award winners after the ceremony at Oxford Town Hall in 1966.

They were, left to right, Julian Hopper, Keith Hayes, Clive Davis, Stephen Emberson, Anthony Gardner and David Lambert.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.