Inspirational Jasmine heading to Palace to pick up award
A 24-year-old Dudley woman is excited to be heading to Buckingham Palace this year to pick up her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
Jasmine Pole, from Kingswinford, has come a long way since being born 11 weeks early in 1997, weighing only two pounds and 10 ounces.
She was in hospital for six months before eventually being healthy enough to go home, but now she's trekked across the country as part of the award scheme.
Jasmine said: "It's been great for confidence building. I've always tried my best but it reinforced to me the importance of not giving up."
As part of the scheme, Jasmine spent a year volunteering at a charity shop, as well as developing her baking skills and going for weekly walks across the Midlands.
She also went on an expedition which involved five days of trekking across the Peak District.
All of her efforts will be rewarded on May 16 when she goes to Buckingham Palace to collect the prestigious award.
"I'm excited, but a bit nervous," she said. "I just wanted to gain new skills and prove that just because you've got problems, you can still do anything you want."
Jasmine has autism and dyspraxia, which she says contributes to her nerves but has not stopped her finishing the award scheme.
"In our group, we all had something like that," she said. "It really helped us to be together."
Now, Jasmine has caught the charitable bug, and wants to continue with her charity work.
She added: "At the moment I'm running a collection for Russells Hall Hospital's children ward as I was born premature.
"But I'd like to do more charity work because I like helping people."
