A HEREFORD student has become the only person in the country with a visual impairment to achieve a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award this year.

Kieran Parnell, 18, was working towards the honour when he began losing his sight.

The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) student is one of only two Gold award winners from his native Wales to receive the prize in 2015.

Since an accident at birth, he has been blind in his right eye. At 16 he began to lose the vision in his left and was later diagnosed with Stargardts Macular Degeneration despite having no previous history of visual impairment in his family.

“I had to teach myself how to map read in a new way, drawing out exact routes and check points,” he said “The Duke of Edinburgh is something that I will never forget.

I proved to myself that I could do it; my sight didn’t get in the way. I hope that in the future I can show that sight is not an issue when it comes to achievement.”

He attended a ceremony in Newport, South Wales to pick up his award.

The RNC offers both Bronze and Silver awards to its students, although Kieran took on his award through Newport Council Youth Service, with support from RNC’s Duke of Edinburgh co-ordinator and leader, Barry Morris.

He will help support the college’s Bronze and Silver Award students.

“Kieran will be a useful asset to have helping with the awards,” he said.

“He’s got all of the skills and I’m pretty sure he’ll be able to teach me something, too. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”