Interstellar trip inspires North Devon Scouts at National Space Centre

Cub Scouts from Barnstaple and North Devon have enjoyed a rare opportunity to travel halfway across the country and visit the National Space Centre.

Members of 1st North Devon Scouts joined a 500-strong group from across the UK for the weekend trip to the centre in Leicester, where they were able to explore the wonders of space and aviation first-hand.

Designed to spark curiosity and build skills that aren’t always within young people’s orbit, such as space science, astronomy and aeronautics, the day provided plenty of hands‑on activities, interactive experiments and stellar learning opportunities.

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Matthew, a volunteer leader for 1st North Devon Scouts, said: “’We travelled almost five hours and stayed the night at a local scout camp site, but it’s been worth the journey!

“The young people had a brilliant time and it’s such a great opportunity for them to earn their space badge but also experience all the amazing activities the Space Centre for the first time.”

Above: The event at the National Space Centre had plenty of hands-on activities for the Cub Scouts to join in with. Credit: Scouts

Chief Scout Dwayne Fields said: “It was fantastic to join young people from Barnstaple at the National Space Centre. Together, we discovered more about the possibilities of STEM, both in space and down here on Earth.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for space with the Artemis moon missions and, who knows, maybe some of our Scouts will be the astronauts and moonwalkers of the future. In Scouts it is days like these that inspire young people, set their sights higher while giving them skills for life.”

Above: Chief Scout Dwayne Fields with some of the 500 Cub Scouts – including those from North Devon – who visited the National Space Centre at the weekend. Credit: Scouts

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