The 19 year old was determined to earn the award herself, so that her mum could at last enjoy the big day.

The teenager, from Thame, completed all elements of the Gold Award and then took her mother, a popular teacher at Barley Hill School, along to St James Palace on the Duke of Edinburgh's 88th Birthday, to receive the medal from Prince Philip himself.

To get the award, she volunteered at Sunday School, running a playgroup for the 1-4 year olds for a year.

Her expedition involved canoeing, which included extensive training throughout a bitterly cold winter and culminated in a final navigation down the River Severn from Ironbridge to near Gloucester.

It took her and her team five days to complete. For her physical section Miriam thought she would learn a new skill and, as she loves dance, tried ballet for six months.

She travelled to the Middle East for the residential section of the award, just in time for the outbreak of the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

During the war, which lasted for the duration of her stay in Israel, she helped run a soup kitchen with a volunteer group for refugees fleeing the fighting.

While she says that the award has helped her become a better person and taught her to 'finish a task, even when it is really hard', she also admits: "It was very tough, I would never do it again. I cried
most of the time."

For the full story see this week's Thame Gazette, out now.