A Paralympics gold medallist has visited students in the county to talk about the way technology supports Paralympians.

Just a few days after flying home from Tokyo, swimmer Stephanie Millward visited the students at Berkeley Green UTC to talk about her experience of competing at the very highest level.

Stephanie has won 10 medals - including two golds - across three Games. She told students about the hard work it took to get there, and the importance of technology for Paralympians.

Stephanie visited with Versarien, an advanced materials company based in Cheltenham, which is one of the industry sponsors of the UTC.

Versarien's graphene technology was incorporated into the development of the Olympic skeleton, which led to the first Team GB medal in the sport since 1948.

Versarien challenged students to incorporate graphene technology into items that could improve Paralympian performance. Students designed a wide range of possible aids or items of clothing, from helmets for skiers to rowing simulators, and from graphene hockey sticks to limb adaptations.

Stephanie's inspirational story gave students so much to talk about that she's promised to go back and tell them more.

Berkeley Green UTC is a specialist state school for students aged 14-19, specialing in engineering and digital technologies, including cyber. Students at the UTC enjoy a curriculum that is based around future employability in the STEM sector.

During the academic year, they take part in a number of employer projects, where an employer sets a STEM challenge for teams of students and selects the winning designs.

The UTC is now recruiting students for entry in September 2022. For more information, visit https://academytrust.sgscol.ac.uk/sgs-berkeley-green-utc.