Apprentices in Oxfordshire have come up with ways to help disabilities in the final of the Emma Wiggs Challenge 2024.

The event saw apprentices at Oxfordshire Advanced Skills, based at the UK Atomic Energy Authority's Culham Campus, showcase innovative design concepts aimed at improving life for people with disabilities.

Double paralympic champion Emma Wiggs MBE, who launched the competition, was a judge.

Ms Wiggs' mobility was impaired by a virus at the age of 18, and that led to her determination to make a mark in paralympic sports.

She has since become a trailblazer in the UK for paracanoeing, clinching gold medals at both the Rio and Tokyo Paralympics.

Ms Wiggs was previously instrumental in collaborating with the Manufacturing Technology Centre to design a bespoke canoe paddle.

The Emma Wiggs Challenge, in partnership with MTC Training and OAS, urged learners to conceive design solutions for everyday tasks that pose a challenge for individuals with disabilities.

The apprentices developed their design concepts individually or in small groups.

Ms Wiggs assisted by facilitating virtual workshops to answer queries, allowing control and refinement over the designs.

The winning entry was Sense-Aid, crafted by Sophie Walters.

The wristband endeavours to support and empower autistic adults offering a practical, adult-focused product in a mainly child-centric market.

Thomas Potts, Luke Scofield, and Owen Green's project Brush secured the runner-up position, addressing an issue for wheelchair users — the accumulation of dirt on their tyres and the resultant struggle to clean them before entering a building.

Brush is an easily attachable unit that cleans the wheels on-the-go, sporting replaceable brushes that can be detached and used manually.

The highly commended finalist was The Braille Knife designed by Marian Bumbar, which aids visually impaired people in choosing the right kitchen utensil through the use of Braille engravings on the handle.

Ms Wiggs said: "It’s been a privilege to come back to OAS and work with the first-year apprentices on the second Emma Wiggs Challenge.

"Once again, I have been absolutely blown away by the unique solutions that the finalists have produced."

Emma Johnstone, head of finance and operations at OAS, said: "I couldn’t be more proud of the way in which our first-year apprentices have embraced the challenge.

"It’s been so rewarding to see how they have been inspired by working with Emma Wiggs to create these concepts to help improve daily life for people with disabilities."

For more information on the Emma Wiggs Challenge visit the OAS website at https://www.oas.ukaea.uk/the-emma-wiggs-challenge/.