Twins Colin and Jamie Fox have followed in the footsteps of their big sister Zoe and made it a hat-trick of gold Duke of Edinburgh awards held by members of the same family.

The 19-year-olds completed the highest award the scheme has to offer earlier this year, two years after their 23-year-old sibling.

They received certificates of congratulations from the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Hugh Duberly at Hinchingbrooke House in Huntingdon on Saturday (January 4), watched by their proud parents Sarah and Colin, from Winwick.

Like Zoe, the twins completed the award scheme via Sawtry Open Award Unit.

DofE co-ordinator at Sawtry, Jane Newton, said: “This is my 20th year as a co-ordinator and this is our first treble in a generation.

“It’s quite an achievement. They started at 14 in Year 10 and put a lot of hard work into it.”

The scheme tests youngsters in categories including volunteering, physical, skill, expedition and residential.

Colin, who is studying mechanical engineering at Coventry University, and Jamie, who is at Oxford Brookes studying motorsport engineering, completed the award by carrying out the same activities.

For the skill section, together with their dad, they took part in a national karting competition, finishing third overall in 2012; their expedition was canoeing the River Spey in Scotland; the voluntary service they performed was as young leaders for 1st Brington Scouts; and for the physical category they played badminton. They also went to the Outward Bound Trust centre in Aberdovey, Snowdonia.

Zoe’s gold included climbing and wild camping in the north of Scotland.

Jamie said: “I have lots of new friends and did lots of things that I otherwise would not have done, including karting.”