A FORMER Grange councillor rubbed shoulders with royalty and a Lioness as he delivered a speech to thousands of young people and their loved ones at Buckingham Palace.

Lyndon Howson, 26, joined HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and England Lioness Jill Scott MBE to deliver a speech in a Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award celebration.

Lyndon, who was celebrating his own Gold Award, took to the palace’s West Terrace to share his own DofE experience.

The celebration was the second of four events recognising around 9,000 young people who have shown extraordinary perseverance, creativity and resilience to complete their Gold DofE in schools, community organisations, youth groups and workplaces, all over the UK.

He said: “It was a surreal experience to do a speech alongside two incredible people who have inspired so many. This was an opportunity I will never forget and feel so grateful for.

“It was inspiring to look out and see all my fellow Gold Award recipients who have worked so hard and achieved so much to be there. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to hear about their own stories and experiences and celebrating our achievements together."

Lyndon, who became a councillor in Grange at the age of 20, started his DofE journey prior to starting university, signing up through DofE Direct – a way to do your DofE independently, without belonging to a group or organisation.

While doing his DofE, Lyndon was diagnosed with cancer.

In his speech, Lyndon spoke about how the DofE helped him focus during the worrying time.

He said: “Throughout what you can imagine was a worrying time, I did struggle with my mental health but found that focusing on my DofE goals one week at a time really helped to motivate me.

“This frame of mind helped me to stay in the present and not worry all the time about the future, or to spiral into negative thoughts. It was a source of normality during a time when everything else felt out of my control.”

Fortunately, he found out he was in remission just one week before receiving his invite to his Gold Award celebration, which made the award even more exciting.

He said: “It was a truly incredible opportunity to be there, especially as I received my Gold Award invitation a week after I received the news I am now in remission. Having the opportunity to share my DofE story and hopefully inspire other young people to begin there own DofE journey is something I’ll be forever grateful for."