Raphael grew up in Brixton, in South London. He contracted polio as a young child and has used crutches to walk since the age of 11.
He came across the DofE through the Army Cadet Force and worked through the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. He still remembers his Bronze expedition – the first time he had been out in the English countryside; the first time he and his friends had to cook for themselves; the first time he slept in a tent, and could see the stars properly.
The DofE gave him the confidence and skills to aim higher. Raphael left the ACF with the rank of Company Sergeant Major and is now reading astrophysics and cosmology at Lancaster University.
“I’ve always needed to show that I could do the same things as my friends"
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