This news story has been written by an adult trainee who is currently on work placement with the College Marketing Team.

Saturday 1 December dawned with a frost and a watery sun but this neither affected the number of visitors to RNIB College Loughborough's Craft Fair, nor its takings. I arrived perhaps a little over half an hour after the doors were opened and I was delighted to see how busy it already was. All the stalls were arranged in the Arts Centre of the college and sometimes it was difficult to get to some of them due to the numbers of people. There was no pushing or shoving however, and everyone took their time to browse. There was a very friendly atmosphere and the stall holders were more than willing to talk to potential customers and describe their wares to those of us who couldn't see. It was also an opportunity for people to chat and socialise while they were waiting for space to see something specific.

My overwhelming feeling about the fair was how colourful it was. There were stalls filled with all kinds of handmade Christmas decorations: hearts, Christmas trees and baubles to name but a few, all painted in bright reds, golds and greens with lashings of glitter to sparkle in the light. There was a lot of handmade jewellery bringing a similar sparkle to the stalls and many bright, knitted scarves and hats bringing a cosy warmth to a winter's day. The stalls that I was particularly interested in were those that sold Christmas cards as I wanted some for my family. I found a particularly unusual one of a dove with some sort of flame design around it, in acrylics, which I will give to my Mother. I was also very much taken with the homemade jams and chutneys as there were some interesting combinations of flavours. I picked up some elderflower jam, along with some strawberry and rhubarb jam, which will make good Christmas presents for a friend of mine.

The Bell Bar was doing a roaring trade in sandwiches and a superb butternut squash soup, (courtesy of Sandra I believe), not to mention the generous measures of mulled wine. I enjoyed a leisurely lunch with my two friends, Dennis and Hadyn (trainees on the Adult Programme, like myself), who had come along with me, both to browse for themselves but also to escort me as they have more sight than I have. While we were eating, Christmas music played in the background, adding to the Christmassy atmosphere, but not too loud, making conversation easy.

The Craft Fair managed to raise an amazing £464 for the college! Speaking to Di later, who was very much involved with the organisation of the event, she said: "It far outweighed our expectations. Not only because there were lots of visitors but also because the college had managed to book 34 stalls for the day". This meant a wide range of goods and a generous revenue for the college. I thoroughly enjoyed the event myself and I am sure that everyone else who attended would say the same.