Thomas Pocklington Trust and Sight Loss Councils Celebrate Volunteers’ Week with 2025 Rodney Powell Awards

Date posted: 2nd June 2025

As part of Volunteers’ Week 2025, Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) and Sight Loss Councils (SLCs) are celebrating the outstanding contributions of volunteers across the country through the prestigious Rodney Powell Awards (RPA).

Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) presented the 2025 Rodney Powell Awards (RPA) during the Sight Loss Council (SLC) volunteer conference weekend on Saturday, 10 May 2025.

The ceremony was hosted by Claire Sisk – blind content creator, television presenter, and renowned disability advocate – and highlighted the invaluable impact volunteers have on the lives of blind and partially sighted (BPS) people.

At the ceremony, Claire Sisk described TPT volunteers as “change makers” as she hosted the awards ceremony, and highlighted the importance of their campaigns. She shared with volunteers:

“Tonight is about the people in this room: the volunteers, the change makers, the ones quietly doing the work that makes life better for people like me.

“You don’t often get the spotlight but tonight you absolutely deserve it. So, thank you. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for caring. And thank you for fighting the good fight in ways that really matter.”

She reflected to TPT staff at the end of the ceremony:

“Listening to the work of the volunteers was so incredibly inspiring and just shows how selfless people are when they go out of their way to help others. I also think sometimes people can underestimate the difference small things can make to people’s lives. It’s genuinely life changing, and the difference between being able to go out into the world to venture independently, or not.”

Thomas Pocklington Trust’s Chief Executive, Charles Colquhoun, added:

“At Thomas Pocklington Trust, we are all immensely proud of each and every one of our volunteers and the amazing work they do. Our Rodney Powell Awards for Volunteering is just one of the many ways we can show our appreciation for sharing their passion, commitment, energy and expertise to create positive change for blind and partially sighted people across the UK. They are the driving force in everything we do.”

“We are also proud to join thousands of organisations across the UK to celebrate the incredible impact of volunteers on people’s lives every day as part of Volunteers’ Week 2025.”

Here are the Rodney Powell Award winners:

Outstanding Contribution

The Outstanding Contribution award, sponsored by T Vine Conversions, went to Birmingham and Black Country SLC member Steve to recognise his work to make healthcare more accessible. This includes promoting system and behaviour change within Birmingham’s NHS, delivering training to hundreds of staff, co-producing a training film, and advocating for reasonable adjustments in healthcare systems.

Steve said:

“Receiving the Outstanding Contribution Rodney Powell Award was very gratifying as well as exciting as it validates the time, effort and input that we volunteers enjoy giving.

“Volunteering gives me pleasure in knowing that we are a part of the solution and that we as a team are focused on making the lives of visually impaired people easier. It also gives me lots of opportunities to meet the people who can make and influence the changes we need.”

Individual Volunteer of the Year

The Individual Volunteer of the Year award, sponsored by Russell Cooke, was awarded to Paul, a Birmingham and Black Country SLC member, for his work to make companies more accessible and inclusive. This includes working alongside Birmingham Hippodrome and West Midlands Combined Authority to help make the region exemplary for disabled people.

He said:

“I feel honoured to have won the Rodney Powell Sight Loss Council Volunteer of the Year Award 2025.

“Sight Loss Councils win respect from the community and related stakeholders through engagement, campaigning, awareness raising and VI related training. All in a supportive and encouraging environment.

“It is completely inspiring to know that what you contribute through SLCs is co-designed and co-produced, and has continuous and long-lasting impact. It also gives you a sense of pride and place in knowing you are individually and collectively making a significant difference to the daily lives of a community to which I’m proud to belong.”

Outstanding Contribution – Student Voice

Sponsored by Guide Dogs, the Outstanding Contribution Student Voice award was awarded to Student Voice volunteer Aleks. This award recognised the key role he has played in TPT’s Access and Assistance for All (AAA) Campaign, including speaking about it at an event in Parliament. Aleks has also amplified the voices of blind and partially sighted students, and engaged directly with policymakers at a Meet the Minister round-table event.

Aleks said: “Thank you very much for this award. I really appreciate it. I would like to thank the TPT team and Volunteer Manager Kate for making volunteering fun and rewarding. Together, we can achieve so many great things. If you’re trying to change the world on your own it’s impossible, but when you combine your forces with others, your voices become louder. Thank you once again and hopefully more great things are going to happen for the visually impaired community.”

Campaign of the Year

The Campaign of the Year award, sponsored by Foundation Fighting Blindness, was awarded to the #MakeTransportAccessible campaign for ‘Vision Impairment Awareness for Bus Drivers’ training materials created for bus and coach drivers across the UK. The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has approved the materials for its members and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has shared the training for its Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Volunteers are also actively sharing the resources and its messaging with bus and coach operators locally.

Rachel Wilkinson, Head of Engagement and Transport Lead at TPT, said:

“Our Campaign of the Year Award recognises campaigns that make a strong impact both locally and nationally, and we are particularly proud of everything our volunteers have achieved through this campaign. It was shaped by insights from BPS people and a volunteer-led mystery shopping exercise. SLC volunteers were also at the heart of creating the bus driver training resources, and are now actively sharing them with local bus and coach operators.”

Team of the Year

The Team of the Year award, sponsored by Brighton and Hove Buses, went to Birmingham and Black Country (BABC) SLC. Having received multiple nominations for various work, BABC SLC has been pivotal in improving accessibility across healthcare, transport, and digital services for blind and partially sighted people.

This year’s SLC conference was supported with sponsorship from Bayer. Bayer has had no involvement in the organisation or final agenda of the Sight Loss Council Conference 2025.

Taryn Marshall, a Birmingham and Black Country SLC volunteer, said:

“I’m proud to have been part of our team that won the Rodney Powell Award for Team of the Year 2025. It’s a true honour to be recognised for our hard work, dedication, and collaboration. I am grateful to be surrounded by such inspiring and dedicated volunteers.

“What I really enjoy about my volunteering role is being able to support others in a meaningful way, gaining new skills and being part of a team that genuinely cares about making a difference.”

Thank you to all of our volunteers, sponsors, partners and colleagues who helped to make the 2025 Rodney Powell Awards for Volunteering such a resounding success!

You can read about all the volunteers who were shortlisted for the awards on our website.