Rodney Powell Awards 2025 shortlist
Congratulations to the shortlisted teams and volunteers for the Rodney Powell Awards (RPA) for volunteering. Winners will be announced at the Rodney Powell Awards on Saturday, 10 May, following the Sight Loss Councils’ (SLC) Conference.
Thomas Pocklington Trust launched the awards to recognise and celebrate the work of volunteers at the charity, and the immense contribution Sight Loss Councils, Young Voices, and Student Voices volunteer members make to the lives of blind and partially sighted (BPS) people every day.
A judging panel has been working hard to create a list of finalists.
RPA shortlisted categories and finalists
Outstanding contribution sponsored by T Vine Conversions
This award is for an individual whose contribution to volunteering has positively impacted the work of Thomas Pocklington Trust. This could be issued posthumously.
Outstanding contribution nominations
Harry (South West London SLC): Harry has been described as one of the ‘driving forces’ of South West London SLC. Harry made a powerful impact at an event with Transport for London (TfL) design engineers by conveying his lived experiences, helping TfL to significantly improve their descriptions of bus routes. He was also a key contributor to the success of the Meet the Bus event.
Harry has also been instrumental in the successful launch and operation of the South West London SLC, which has proven influential with one of its key stakeholders, Wandsworth Borough Council.
He also produced text for Lime’s e-Bike in-app messaging on vision awareness. This was nominated for an industry award in 2023.
Harry standing in front of a train station help point
Steve (Birmingham and Black Country SLC): Steve has been instrumental in many projects over the last 18 months, including promoting system and behaviour change within Birmingham’s NHS. He delivered training to hundreds of staff, co-produced a training film, and shared his lived experience accessing healthcare. He even had systems changed to include passwords as a reasonable adjustment to physical ID.
Steve has also provided considerable feedback and influence within the transport sector, including on floating bus stops. He also contributed to improving wayfinding tools, such as Waymap, in Birmingham New Street Train Station.
Steve standing on a railway platform with his guide dog
Mick (Michael) (Merseyside SLC): Mick has been nominated because of his invaluable contributions to Merseyside SLC.
The impact of his work has been far-reaching. Mick has given feedback on new bus and train stations to improve accessibility for visually impaired people. During sim specs walks, he shared his lived experience with councillors and officers. He has also supported the delivery of multiple vision awareness sessions. People describe Mick as a brilliant advocate who makes a massive difference in the Merseyside area.
Mick stepping of a bus with his guide dog, Kip
Outstanding contribution: student voices nominations sponsored by Guide Dogs
Zehra: Zehra is an active and valued member of Student Voices, sharing her advice and experience to promote their work.
Zehra has worked on our Access and Assistance for All (AAA) campaign. She has contacted MPs and various stakeholders to ensure colleges are accessible and inclusive. Zehra has also shared her experiences with using assistive technology to access university work. She played a key role in helping other blind and partially sighted students to develop self-advocacy skills. She spoke to them online as part of the transitions programme.
Student Voices volunteer, Zehra, smiling at the camera
Aleks: Aleks has been a fantastic advocate and played a vital role in key events, including at Parliament. He was also a driving force in the AAA campaign. Aleks not only got colleges to sign up, but also presented confidently in parliament about the campaign.
Additionally, Aleks has engaged directly with policy makers at the Meet the Minister round-table event. Here, he demonstrated a keen commitment to supporting the work of TPT by amplifying the voices of BPS students.
Student Voices volunteer, Aleks, looking towards the camera and smiling
Ramneek: Ramneek spoke articulately and passionately at the Meet the Minister round-table event, as well as at an online technology webinar. This webinar helped many parents understand and navigate the world of assistive technology, offering some practical solutions to help their children.
Ramneek showcased the experiences of BPS students to professionals at a conference for disability and inclusivity practitioners in education.
Student Voices volunteer, Ramneek, stands in front of a presentation screen, smiling
Maymunah: Maymunah has played a key role in campaigning on the accessibility of the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) Software, a statistical analysis tool created by IBM, used by psychology students and professionals. Visually impaired students were struggling to access this essential tool. She has taken part in focus groups and research for the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) Champions project. She also wrote a thought-provoking blog on the CFVI and its relevance for students. This helped raise awareness of the CFVI and start up conversations about accessibility for BPS people in higher education.
Campaign of the year sponsored by Foundation Fighting Blindness
This award category is new for 2025. It marks the achievements of volunteers and teams who have devised a local, regional, or national campaign which has benefited blind and partially sighted people.
Campaign of the year nominations
#StreetsForAll: The key focus for the #StreetsForAll initiative for 2024 and 2025 is our #CutItBack campaign, which resulted in a 680 per cent increase in our Facebook audience reach alone.
Sussex SLC played a key role in this work by featuring in a series of short films highlighting the dangers that overgrown foliage poses for blind and partially sighted people.
Volunteers across SLCs supported the campaign around the country by sharing photos and quotes of their encounters with overgrown vegetation, urging the public to #CutItBack.
Engagement Manager, Dave, stands with his cane in his hand next to an overgrown hedge
London SLC’s e-Bike Charter: We are also recognising our e-Bike charter, created by London SLCs, which is fast-gaining new signatories, including Lime, Forest and Voi.
SW London volunteer, Haren, standing next a poorly parked Lime e-Bike with his guide dog
#MakeTransportAccessible: The focus of this campaign is our new Bus Driver Awareness training. This is designed to inform bus and coach drivers on how best to support blind or partially sighted passengers. The ‘Vision Impairment Awareness for Bus Drivers’ training materials are available to all bus operators and trainers. Additionally, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has approved the materials for their members, who make up 95 per cent of local bus services. They also make up 60 per cent of coach operators across the UK.
The Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has also confirmed the content is suitable and has met its conditions for approval for the Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Bus and coach drivers must complete this training every five years to remain in compliance with their roles.
SLC volunteers and staff sitting on a bus and smiling at the camera
#MakeHealthAccessible: The focus of this campaign is on vision awareness (VI) sessions delivered to over 500 health students by Merseyside SLC. The goal is to influence practice at the start at all levels within the health service.
We are also recognising Birmingham and Black Country for their training of staff in NHS Trusts, and West of England SLC for their work with health trusts and Sirona Care and Health.
Eight members of Sirona staff reading paper handouts and talking amongst themselves
Volunteering team of the year sponsored by Brighton and Hove Buses
This award celebrates a team of volunteers across Sight Loss Councils and Thomas Pocklington Trust, whose dedication has made a real difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
Volunteering team of the year nominations
Access and Assistance for All Volunteer group: The AAA campaign is a youth-led initiative aimed at improving the accessibility of assistive technology in further education colleges across England. This group of 11 young volunteers are described in the nomination as the most determined, thoughtful, selfless, proactive, and creative group of people imaginable.
This year, they have given so much time to developing and promoting the AAA campaign. Their work has included sending personalised emails to colleges, delivering webinars, and presenting to hundreds of colleges and students. They have written to MPs and ministers, attended meetings with colleges, and developed accessible materials for websites. They have also shared student stories, written impactful articles, and spoken with MPs in Parliament, amongst so much more. The campaign has had a huge impact already, with over 20 colleges signing pledges and improving accessibility within their institutions
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SLC and Nottinghamshire SLC: This nomination for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SLC for Team of the Year is due to its huge growth over the past year. It originally started with four members; we now have 11 SLC members. It has now expanded into the county of Hertfordshire.
SLC volunteers are really supportive of each other and gel well as a team, and are keen to influence change. They are brilliant at coming together and sharing lived experiences to help make that change happen.
Nottinghamshire Sight Loss Council has been nominated for their outstanding efforts in enhancing the accessibility of the Nottingham tram network. This nomination recognises the collective contributions of every member of the SLC who have gone above and beyond their usual roles. Their efforts included mapping out platforms, recording and reading audio guides, and delivering vision awareness training. Many members stepped out of their comfort zones to achieve these significant milestones.
Nottinghamshire SLC members at their launch meeting
Birmingham and Black Country SLC (BaBC): The BaBC SLC team received multiple nominations, having been pivotal in improving accessibility across healthcare, transport, and digital services for blind and partially sighted people. Their achievements include helping the NHS produce national training videos, co-designing improvements to Birmingham City Council’s chatbot for screen reader users and advising the police on hate crime awareness. Through their expertise, lived experience, and collaborative approach, they continue to shape policy and drive change across the West Midlands.
Group photo of Birmingham and Black Country SLC members
Volunteer of the year sponsored by Russell Cooke Solicitors
This award is for an exceptional volunteer who has made an impact in their local or wider community to improve the lives of BPS people.
Volunteer of the year nominations
Rachael (Greater Manchester SLC): Rachael is a fantastic and highly-valued volunteer, and a brilliant advocate of BPS people. Rachael is always forthcoming with ideas, is keen to network, and is brilliant at making new contacts. Similarly, she also ensures local charities (including the SLC) work in partnership, believing that, in strength, we are greater. Rachael is committed to making a difference to others with sight loss, and dedicates huge amounts of time to this. She thinks everything through brilliantly and is a great sounding board. Rachael can always be relied upon to know exactly which approach is the best one to take.
A headshot photo of Rachael smiling at the camera
Paul (BaBC SLC): Paul was nominated because of his tireless work to make companies more accessible and inclusive. He has worked alongside Birmingham Hippodrome, and collaborated with West Midlands Combined Authority to help make the region exemplary for disabled people. Paul is shortlisted for all this work, including the way he presents himself in workshops and shares his lived experiences. From taxi refusals to presentations, his insights have informed our partners’ work, and he has worked with volunteers to improve transport accessibility.
Paul pictured sitting on a chair and talking into a microphone
Haren (South West London SLC): Haren is described as the driving force behind our e-Bike Charter. He has helped to get major operators like Lime and Forest on board. This e-Bike charter comprises a key set of principles e-Bike operators should sign up to, helping make our streets accessible. Haren starts complex conversations with operators and boroughs with incredible ease, always pushing things forward with vision and diplomacy. His endless grace, patience, and humour has helped others to understand the complicated world of micromobility and create positive change.
A headshot photo of Haren smiling at the camera
Emmanuel (North London SLC): Emmanuel’s excellent work to #MakeHealthAccessible to blind and partially sighted people has earned him a nomination. He instigated North London SLC’s work with Whittington Hospital, and became a member of Moorfields Eye Hospital’s patient group, and made a key contact at their new site. Furthermore, Emmanuel is also making contacts with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) in North London. His valuable feedback has helped North London’s health services begin to make improvements for blind and partially sighted patients.
A headshot photo of Emanuel smiling at the camera
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Publication date: 07 May 2025