KIDDERMINSTER’S Paralympic hero Claire Cashmore enjoyed a warm welcome home following her success in Rio.

The swimmer proudly showed off her gold and silver medals to guests at the No Barriers Mike Oborski Awards, held at Community Housing Group’s HQ in Foley Drive on Thursday (October 20).

At last month’s games, she was part of the women’s 4x100 medley relay team that scooped gold while the 28-year-old added a silver to her collection in the women’s 100m breaststroke.

After spending time exploring Brazil after the competition, she flew back home on Wednesday before honouring the commitment to speak at the awards’ bash.

And she revealed that she was still on cloud nine after achieving her long-held ambition to wear gold.

“Winning that medal was something I’d dreamed of as a little girl and it was a fantastic feeling. It has not really sunk in yet.

“I don’t see myself as a role model, I’m still just Claire! But if I have helped people and made them realise anything is possible, then that is inspirational for me. We all have challenges to overcome.”

Her success has seen her win a new Worcestershire award – the Black Pear Tree Award – while London Midland have painted the Kidderminster Train Station sign gold in her honour.

After a break, she is looking forward to re-starting her training and preparing for glory at the next Paralympic games in Tokyo.

She said: “Yes, I have achieved a dream but I want an individual gold too. I was distraught about missing out on the breaststroke. But I love what I do and will get back into it in the new year.”

For our full coverage from the 2016 No Barriers Awards, click here.