An accountancy trainee from Birmingham is celebrating after completing the qualifying expedition for her Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Gold Award.

Susanna Qureshi, an audit trainee at RSM in Birmingham, completed the gruelling 63km trek across the Lake District as part of a five-strong team.

The DofE Gold Award is the highest level of three progressive youth achievement awards that under-25s can take on. The expedition is the final part of the 18-month DofE business programme designed to help young employees develop personal skills, behaviours and confidence while supporting their career development.

RSM has been offering its trainees the opportunity to take on the DofE Gold Award since 2016 and its popularity has grown every year. This year, 26 trainees from the audit, tax and consulting firm have signed up to take part.

​Susanna said: 'The four days of the trip were really tough, particularly as we had some very challenging weather to contend with, but it was a great experience and a huge relief to cross the finish line.'

Mark Taylor, RSM's managing partner for RSM in Birmingham said:' RSM is proud to support the Duke of Edinburgh's Award which has a hugely positive impact on those young people that take part.

'Susanna deserves great credit for completing this expedition which requires teamwork, technical capability and resilience – all qualities that we look for in our staff.'

The full team from RSM who completed the expedition were Susanna Qureshi, Alex Narang, Megan Gibson, Jennifer Martin and Jamie Whiteford.

On completion of the programme, all participants will be invited to a ceremony at St James' Palace in London to receive their award from a member of the royal household.