A STALWART youth worker who dedicated almost half a century to helping young people through the Duke of Edinburgh Awards has hung up his walking boots for the final time.
Keith Asbury became the first person in Warwickshire to achieve the Gold level in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards back in 1959 when he first got involved with the scheme.
Since then, Mr Asbury has devoted 46 years of service to helping 14 to 25-year-olds to follow in his footsteps and do exactly the same thing.
But now he has decided to bid a fond farewell to the scheme which has been such an important part of his life for so long.
In 1960 Keith decided to promote the project, which is now managed by Warwickshire County Council's Youth and Community Service (Outdoor Education) from his own Scout unit in Nuneaton.
Just four years later he was asked to establish the programme throughout the whole of the borough, marking the beginnings of the countywide programme as it is today.
During that decade Keith met and married his wife Rachel and the couple have worked together on the programme ever since.
The dedicated pair have helped to organise a range of activities including pony trekking, sailing, canoeing, parascending, parachute jumping, basic and advanced mountain climbing, as well as Alpine walking.
The family theme continued some years later when their daughter, Michelle, joined the team after gaining her Gold award.
She has continued to work with her parents, and the rest of the Northern Area team, in what Keith describes as a real family atmosphere.
"It has been wonderful having them along," he said.
"After a while you all begin to think alike and it was a comforting feeling knowing that the team were there attending to all the support tasks that need doing, as well as ensuring that the young people came first with their usual care and concern.
"All of these qualities helped create a wonderful family atmosphere which was picked up by the young people and which would be hard to replicate.
"No wonder the courses were always full with parents and young people desperately wanting to be part of the action and the success story."
One of the most memorable experiences for Keith was securing the Earl of Wessex's visit to the Duke of Edinburgh scheme in North Warwickshire in 2006.
He said: "Until I undertook this exercise I had no idea of the work involved liaising with the various levels of Police units, security and the Warwickshire Lieutenancy's Office who co-ordinate all such visits.
Another highlight was when he was awarded an MBE for services to young people in the Queen's New Year Honours list in 2007.
For more information about Warwickshire County Council's Youth and Community Service or for further details about the Duke of Edingburgh Award visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/youthandcommunity.
