ON February 27, Hereford was lucky enough to host Bruce Kent of CND, one of this country's most influential peace campaigners, who spoke both at Hereford Sixth Form College and at the Methodist Hall.

At the college, myself and more than 100 of my fellow students crowded into a debating room to hear Bruce present the case for a world without nuclear weapons and, specifically, the non-renewal of Trident. As he explained, the possession of nuclear weapons is not and never will be rational, moral or safe, due to the ridiculous costs involved, the horrendous effects of the deployment of such weapons, and the sheer hypocrisy of a system that condemns countries such as Iran and North Korea for trying to achieve the very thing that we ourselves defend.

From my point of view as a teenager, I also feel very strongly about the unforgivable danger to future generations in renewing the possession of weapons that could destroy the world several times over, whether by accident or intent. The only sensible course is to take this opportunity to engage in serious discussion and planning for a nuclear-free world. We must follow those countries that have already realised it is possible to live without the bomb, and instead invest the £25 billion in projects that will provide a safer world, not a more dangerous one.

Now is the time to act. As Bruce Kent said, the world will have a nuclear-free future - or no future.

Cecily Blench, Hereford Sixth Form College.