Victoria Education Centre is a school for physically disabled young people aged 3 – 19. Many of our students have life limiting conditions such as Duchene Muscular Dystrophy and the majority are wheelchair users. At the school our philosophy is to ensure that their disabilities do not affect the opportunities that should be open to them throughout their short lives. Since 1998 we have been helping our students access Duke of Edinburgh. We strongly believe that our students should experience the scheme in the same way any non-disabled young person does. The values and life changing experiences have made a huge difference to many young people since 1998, many of whom sadly are no longer with us. Being able to get lost in a wood because you made a wrong turn, panicking because you forgot the matches to light the stove or just laughing about your adventure with friends as the sun sets are things that they would never have experienced without the scheme. We have never attempted Gold DofE before; but we are this year with 5 students who are very excited at the opportunity. We have been searching for some time for something accessible and fulfilling. Ensuring young people really feel the achievement and enormity that completing the Gold award is something that’s very important to us. We have the opportunity to do the residential section for Gold with NASA. The students will get to have an astronaut training experience; go to Kennedy space centre and Cape Canaveral; meet and learn from NASA executives; go to a theme park; get to look at the night sky through a giant telescope at NASA’s observatory and have dinner with an astronaut! It costs £1950 per person, which is fully inclusive of all costs. The students will also be doing fundraising and sponsored events to help fund the trip; but will also have the added cost of carers going with them. This experience will positively change their lives forever.