I'm aiming to raise £1,000 for my education project.

Nearly 10 years ago I battled with sepsis, and in the end it left me "medically unfit for work", because I have to have dialysis three times a week and the side effects for me are bad.

Rather than let my life waste away, I decided to do two things: firstly I went back into education and I'm studying at the open university. However I have become a STEM Ambassador, and have been visiting local schools and doing online presentations on space sciences. Last year I spent over 200 hours engaging with over 1000 pupils in all four nations of the UK. My aim is to hopefully plant just a few little sparks of interest, that may catch fire and inspire young people into a career, not just in space sciences, but in STEM as a whole.

One of the things that has fascinated pupils the most has been my collection of meteorites, which includes small pieces of rock that originated from the moon, and from Mars! I now want to expand my meteorite collection, but these specimens can be quite expensive!

The lesson plan (KS2/KS3) is to have groups of pupils examine (in a non-destructive way) a reasonably sized meteorite each. They will use a digital microscope to take pictures, measure it in various ways and describe its key features. At the end they will then do a show and tell with the other class participants, describing what they found most significant. This teaches scientific methods, as well as observation, recording and presentation skills. At the I will reveal where the meteorite was found and where we believe it came from, as well as anything they may have missed.

I have already spent a lot of my personal savings on items I use in my STEM volunteering, but I'm asking for some help to fund this activity, as half a dozen decent size meteorites will cost me between £1000, and £1500 at least! All donations will go to my STEM volunteering. If you generously give more than my target amount, then I will invest in my other activities, which includes stargazing , and safe solar observation.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and thank you if you are able to donate

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, I will withdraw funds directly. It's the most efficient way to donate and saves time and costs.