A student has proved there is no age barrier to learning after scooping an award at the age of 73.
Derek Wardle has been named as the West Midlands Adult Learner of the Year for his work on a part-time MSc in Engineering at Staffordshire University.
He started the course in 2009 at the age of 70 and has been working on a project to bring light to children in Malawi.
He said: “Age is no barrier when it comes to studying. There are a great number of people who would like to do more with their lives once they have retired and I think if the desire is there, they shouldn’t hesitate.”
Dave Cheshire, Professor of Design Technology at the University, nominated Derek for the award.
He said: “Derek impressed us with his dedication, experience and technical ability so much that he has now been engaged as a PhD student researching the area of renewable energy.
“You may have expected him to be the odd-one-out amongst a group of peers all 40 to 50 years younger, but Derek became somewhat of a mentor for his fellow students.”
Derek is designing a lantern that can run on ethanol and Jatropha oil, both locally produced in Malawi.
He said: “They are dependent on imported kerosene which is far too expensive and so many families are unable to afford it.
“I know how desperate the children are to learn in Malawi, but when the natural light goes they have to stop because they can’t see the work in front of them.
“By developing this lantern we hope to enable them to study whenever they want and it also could lead to Malawi producing its own fuel.”