Herefordshire RNC

RNC - Hereford's Royal National College for the Blind - is a further education college and a national centre of expertise for young people with visual impairment. It welcomes nearly 100 students at any one time and delivers not just vocational and academic qualifications but develops students' self-confidence and personal independence for university or the world of work. Notable alumni include actor Ryan Kelly who plays Jazzer McCreary in Radio 4's The Archers, politician Lord David Blunkett, England blind footballer Brandon Coleman and comedian Chris McCausland. We met with their Senior Fundraising Officer Fiona Bain to find out more. 

Working towards net zero is a key objective here - the focus on energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy. We have things like sensory lights and a recycling scheme of course, but the age of some of the residential buildings (sitting around our newer learning hubs like Point4) presents a challenge as we work towards refurbishing and future proofing the whole campus. 

Funding is always the challenge - we're a charity and are hoping to tap into the Government's VCSE energy efficiency fund. We know, though, that fundraising for things like energy efficient boilers is sometimes less appealing to our supporters than fundraising for equipment the students can use in the here and now. 

Our students, though, have a real appetite for change. They are really in tune with what needs to happen and a strong desire to improve the world they're in.  We have an Eco Group made up of staff, students and volunteers and projects they've led have included preserving an orchard we have on campus, and completing a sensory garden where students grow their own plants and flowers to raise money for the college.

The work we do here continues to surprise people, even while RNC is now a fixture in Hereford (and over 150 years old as a college). It is a brilliant bespoke facility that prepares students for further education and/or the world of work and adult life, allowing them to do anything their sighted peers might do. It's more than the academic courses it offers (from GCSEs and BTECS and A Levels) - it focuses on independent living, too, and can take young people from complete isolation to complete independence. Connecting to and learning from a local network like Greener Footprints is so useful, and fits completely with what we want to learn and what we want to do on our net zero journey