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On Friday 7th July, Heart of Worcestershire College (HoW College) held their Hope of Hydrogen event in association with Worcester Bosch. 

The event took place at the College’s Cathedral building in Worcester and aimed to show case the new developing technology in hydrogen as a heat source and the potential for replacing existing boilers to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 

Worcester Bosch have created the world's first hydrogen boilers and have been conducting research with projects and transforming villages and housing projects with the new technology. As part of the event, Tom Collins, lead for the Hydrogen Research Team at Worcester Bosch, gave a talk discussing the developments of hydrogen-ready boilers and the increased confidence in hydrogen as a technology to meet future demands. After the talks, the audience broke into smaller groups to discuss what residents might need to know more about to prepare, the needs and interests of employers and public service organisations. 

The event had attendees from a variety of educational establishments in the West Midlands, representatives from Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineers, members of the local enterprise board, Worcester County and City Council, including Deputy Mayor Mel Alcott, local community groups such as Transition Worcester and members of the public. A group of students from Blessed Edward High School also attended the event. 

Speaking about Tom Collins’ talk, Peter Robinson Vice Principal for Curiculum and Standards at the College said: 

“The talk from Tom Collins was both fascinating and illuminating. He showed that there is a very real opportunity and potential to convert the UK heating system on a large scale over to hydrogen. There was a really positive feel to the discussion, which covered a lot of topics about practicalities, differing options to pursue and the level of potential. As a college, our focus is on working with employers in preparing for this change, and the training programmes for future students and existing employees' upskilling. We will continue to work with Worcester Bosch, to prepare for this and other technologies that support the move to a carbon free future.” 

Councillor Richard Morris, Cabinet Member with responsibility for the environment, also added: 

“I would like to thank the team at Heart of Worcestershire College for an excellent session, it really was an eye-opener. The way the session was structured to allow discussion and consideration by delegates was also very informative.” 

 The government is currently investigating hydrogen as a fuel course for the country and aims to publish in 2026 their view on its potential and logistics of a national roll out. The college will continue to work with Worcester Bosch on any future developments.