Gordon Stephens MBE

Gordon Stephens MBE

Gordon Stephens was born in Cardiff in 1941 and, at the age of nine, was living on Blackstone Street during one of the worst nights of the Blitz on the Welsh capital.

Following strikes on his home, Gordon was pulled from the rubble as the only survivor on his street. He lost most of his sight as a result of his injuries and later became a student at RNC where he studied music and took a teaching diploma.

Gordon later entered the Civil Service and worked for the Ministry of Aviation in London. After taking up a special training opportunity in computer programming in 1966, he transferred to Customs and Excise in Southend, where he ultimately became a senior manager. Gordon taught children to play the piano in his spare time.

In his retirement he helped other visually impaired people to cope with their sight loss, particularly by discussing his own experience, demonstrating useful gadgets, and teaching Braille. He was awarded an MBE in 1988 for his services. The residential block, ‘Stephens Hall’, is also named after Gordon.

Gordon passed away in 2015 and his family set up a memorial trust to help support the work of RNC who gave Gordon the opportunities and skills to lead his extraordinary life.

In November 2019, Robin Stephens, Gordon’s son, organised a 160 mile charity cycle challenge. Roping in a group of family and friends to ride to Hereford from Southampton, the ‘Pedal to Hereford‘ group, as they were known, raised a staggering £3,800 to support the College’s work.