Discovery Planet C.I.C, an organisation supported by Kent staff and student volunteers since it opened in 2014, has been awarded the King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2025. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.
The organisation, which was set up in 2014 by Xanthe Pitt, Nikki Hildesley and former Kent physics lecturer, Dr Vicky Mason, has brought accessible, creative and educational experiences to the heart of the community in Thanet for more than a decade. Over that time, more than 15 Kent staff and students have volunteered, with many of the interactive workshops centring on their fields of expertise.
Kent students and staff, alongside other volunteers, have helped Discovery Planet deliver events and activities attracting more than 26,000 visits from school children and local people of all ages. This has given community members free access to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) topics, including clean energy, micro-meteorites, plastics, the human heart, and genetics; and demonstrated their real-life applications.
Discovery Planet is one of 231 local charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to have received the prestigious award this year in recognition of the outstanding work they do to support their communities. As a University, Kent is proud to support their work and that of other local organisations through its volunteering scheme, which allocated staff up to 25 hours per academic year for volunteering activities during their work day.
Professor Iain Wilkinson, lead for Civic Engagement at Kent, said of the award: ‘We’re proud that our students and staff have been such enthusiastic supporters of Discovery Planet over the years, and it’s fantastic to see this work gain the recognition it deserves. Increasing access to knowledge and education, and fostering learning environments where everyone feels they belong, is very important to us at the University of Kent. It’s local initiatives like this which make that possible and I am excited to see where the Discovery Planet team take it next!’
Xanthe Pitt, Director and Producer at Discovery Planet, said: ‘We couldn’t do what we do without the input of volunteers. Each event is a huge group effort, and over the years literally thousands of hours of volunteer time have gone into making our project impactful and joyous, so this award is for everyone who has been involved over the last decade, in whatever capacity. We think you’ll agree that it’s been hard work, but a lot of fun too!’