A Malvern graduate student was due to meet Prince Philip during a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award ceremony in London yesterday (Thursday).

Alex Heuer, from Malvern Link, was set to join nearly 800 young achievers from across the country to receive his award certificate at a ceremony attended by the Duke of Edinburgh in St James's Palace, London.

Mr Heuer, aged 24, who is now studying a masters degree in food safety in Birmingham, began the scheme in 1998, whilst studying a biology and environmental sciences course at University College Worcester.

He completed activities in the service, expeditions, skills and physical recreation sections of the programme.

He joined up with the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers and used his skills as a photographer to capture the beauty of landscapes and nature, as well as completing conservation work, including a week-long BTCV Action Break to Carlisle in 2000, involving woodland footpath reconstruction.

He also completed a ten-day expedition to the Isle of Hoy in the Orkneys last summer, during which he undertook conservation activities including brush-burning and beach-clearing.

"The expedition was fantastic, the scenery was stunning and the weather was lovely," he said, "It was the first time that I had been so far north, and I hope it won't be the last."

Mr Heuer described the award ceremony as the "culmination of four years of very hard work", and intends to carry on volunteer conservation work with the John Muir Trust, as well as completing his studies.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, described by Prince Philip as "a do-it-yourself kit in the art of living", has been running for more than 45 years and involves more than 130,000 people aged 14-25 every year.