A TEENAGER says he feels 'incredibly honoured' after picking up a prestigious prize in memory of Inverclyde’s late education boss.

David Stevens, 18, was presented with the Wilma Bain Award at the Duke of Edinburgh awards ceremony.

It was established in memory of popular Wilma, who lost her brave battle with cancer in April 2018.

The prize recognises outstanding achievement throughout the DofE scheme and was presented by David and Morven Bain.

David, from Gourock, said: “The Wilma Bain Award is a very special award to receive.

"Knowing how special a person she was in the local community and having it presented by her family makes me feel very grateful and I feel incredibly honoured.”

David is now at Strathclyde University having studied at St Columba's High.

He first became involved with the Duke of Edinburgh award when he was in third year.

He started with his bronze and carried on to silver before moving on to the gold standard.

he told the Tele: “I was in the Scouts so I really enjoy the expedition section.

"I also enjoy the skills programme as I have played music for around 10 years now.

"It made that section enjoyable and productive.

“For my gold award, I did a year of all three sections, a week’s residential and a five day expedition.

"I was also part of the Gold Leader programme, helping younger participants in the award."

David was joined at the awards ceremony by his mum Louise, brother Andrew and other members of the family.

As well as celebrating David’s achievements, the family were also celebrating Andrew receiving his bronze DofE award.

He picked up his bronze award after taking part in three months of volunteering and physical activities, plus six months of skills sections, playing an instrument and participating in archery, as well as completing an overnight expedition.

The ceremony saw 165 young people receive their bronze and silver awards in front of their families and invited guests.

David praised all those involved.

He said: “The staff and the volunteers are what makes DofE possible and the support and encouragement they provide across the board is greatly appreciated.”