What is this all about??
I think it must come as part of the forum software that has been adopted. I’m afraid it all seems a bit unnecessary and patronising to me!
Hi @benji and @Singing_Gardener,
Thanks for your feedback on our badges feature. Based on the feedback we’ve received from several members about this feature, we have decided to remove it to prevent any further confusions. This will be done in due course and I will alert the forum community once it has been removed.
Best wishes,
Reah
I want my gold star to stick on my jotter. (do jotters still exist or are they now called I Pad’s) there must be people on here that used a slate and chalk. 
Hi all,
I can now confirm that the badge system has been removed.
Many thanks,
Reah