Hello explorers,

I'm Astro Liz! This year I will become the first British child to send something to the moon! Space and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) are very important to me. I enjoy sharing educational videos for kids on my YouTube channel, Astro Liz's Lab and doing STEM outreach. I have had lots fun encouraging kids to find their place in space by delivering free STEM activity packs (and lots of cool space swag) to children in my local community.

This year I am expanding my mission! With help from my family and some truly inspirational volunteers from the space sector, I am launching the Astro Liz Young Explorers Fund charity. We aim to support young people in achieving their space dreams by providing one-off funding for a space "mission" of their own that they otherwise couldn't afford. Whether they dream of attending space camp, watching a live rocket launch from the UK space coast, spending the day at the National Space Centre or even starting their own community rocketry club, I want to inspire young explorers to dream big and reach for the stars! You can visit the charity website at www.AstroLizFund.com for more information.

As the charity grows throughout 2023, we look forward to earning the benefits that larger charities enjoy, but we need your help in reaching our initial goal of £5,000 so we can get there! Astro Liz Young Explorers Fund has several grant applications underway that we hope to receive and we aim to partner with some of the many exciting UK space organisations to bolster support for the charity and enhance the support we are able to offer children.

Every donation toward meeting our initial goal of £5,000 means we will be able to help more children launch into their very own space experience! With 2023 shaping up to be a very exciting year in UK space history, I hope kids who benefit from the Astro Liz Young Explorers Fund will be inspired to take their long-term space dreams to new heights and become part of our nation's space story!