Brandon Hulcoop, a 25-year-old from Plymouth who is blind from birth, has been named a finalist for the Pride of Britain King's Trust Young Achiever Award. He is the founder of All Things Dotty, a business creating accessible products for visually impaired individuals, including braille menus, greeting cards, colouring books, and artwork.
2026 marks both the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust (formerly The Prince's Trust) and 25 years of the Pride of Britain King's Trust Young Achiever Award. Together, the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises and The King's Trust have spent a quarter of a century recognising inspirational young people.
From rejection to enterprise
Despite applying for over a thousand jobs and attending up to 60 interviews, Brandon was continuously rejected due to lack of experience or employers' inability to see past his disability. He said: "I was constantly looking for jobs, applying every single day and spending all my time at the computer. I must have been to about 50 or 60 interviews and was turned down from every single one, either because I didn't have the experience or because of my disability. I am visually impaired and many companies couldn't get past that. I'm still human, just like anybody else. I just need a bit of extra help in places."
Frustrated by the lack of accessibility in everyday life, such as being unable to read restaurant menus or his own birthday cards, he envisioned starting a business to solve these challenges. Brandon was referred to The King's Trust Enterprise programme, which provided adapted course materials, essential business training, and paired him with a mentor.
Support and success
He said: "Being able to take part in the programme just like any other young person would, made me feel like maybe there was a future for me. The programme taught me all the vital skills I needed but also more importantly connected me to my incredible mentor Mike who has been invaluable, and really where the business turned the corner. I couldn't have done it without him."
With this support, Brandon successfully launched and expanded his business full-time. His efforts earned him the King's Trust Enterprise Award in 2025 and a reception with His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace.
Community advocacy
Beyond his business, Brandon offers braille tuition as well as free weekly sessions for lower-income individuals, serves as a sight loss ambassador for Devon Insight, hosts visually impaired interns, and speaks at local schools. He also established the UK Sight Loss Collective, a national initiative uniting blind and partially sighted people, charities, and professionals to campaign for change as a unified voice.
Brandon said: "I have since now moved into our offices and have the support behind me to help the business stand tall with all the others. It's always been my ambition to focus more on my own business full time, which, now that it's taken off, I finally can! It was a long-term ambition, now achieved, and I'm proud and content, excited to see what the future holds."
