Paralympic bronze medallist Mark Tompsett hopes his new status can inspire the next generation of swimmers.

Tompsett, 17, stormed into public consciousness with an impressive bronze in the men’s S14 100m backstroke.

It was one of a stunning 32 medals in the pool for ParalympicsGB and Tompsett is hoping to use that success as a springboard to inspire more disabled children to take up swimming.

The Chorley-born athlete has teamed up with ParalympicsGB and The National Lottery’s operator Allwyn to take part in the ChangeMaker initiative, that provides funding for projects in athletes’ communities.

Tompsett returned to the north-west from Paris to support accessible swimming lessons for disabled children in Manchester and revealed he was honoured to be able to give back.

“It means a lot to come back and help people and show people what you can do,” said Tompsett.

“It is nice to become a role model and inspire other generations.

“It is very important to be involved, it brings athletes back to their local communities to help others thrive and it brings everyone closer together.

“I am helping to improve the inclusivity of one-to-one sessions for kids who have impairments to help them learn to swim in a comfortable environment.

“It changed my life really. I only learned to swim as a life skill, which everyone should be learning to do as it’s really important. When I carried on wanting to swim, it changed my life.

“To be able to represent Great Britain in Paris and come away with a medal was unreal. It meant everything. To be selected and be part of a huge and amazing team which was so supportive means everything.

“I met the kids, showed them my medals and talked about what I have done. There are kids that want to be just like me, it’s a really amazing experience. It’s a shock to see how big of a change I can make and help someone achieve their goals.”

The ChangeMaker initiative is a partnership between The National Lottery’s operator, Allwyn, ParalympicsGB, Team GB and UK Sport to support athletes who want to help projects they are passionate about – with many Paralympic stars being closely connected to important social causes that have affected them personally throughout their life.

The National Lottery’s operator, Allwyn, has backed the scheme through its £1M Social Value Fund while athletes can apply for a new ChangeMakers Fund to create their own projects.

Following a summer of historic success in the pool, AquaticsGB CEO Drew Barrand hopes it can provide the foundations for more and more people to start swimming at all levels.

“We’ve got a window here where we can create an inspirational legacy from the Games,” he said.

“It’s really important, particularly for kids with disabilities, that they have that equal access to physical activity and they see people from a similar background to themselves achieving great things.

“Without ChangeMakers, that is harder to deliver. The direct recipient is the kids and getting more people in swimming pools.

“It is really important that it feels achievable and they can almost touch it. We had a pretty young squad that we took to Paris, a lot of people were doing it for the first time.

“It is great that people can look and feel like they can achieve something similar. The connection between children and the Paralympians is really important.

“We are delighted we can create a bit of a legacy off these moments our athletes have produced.

“We have to work on across the country that that access is provided and those facilities are there, because everybody should be able to swim and everybody should have the right to enjoy time in water at whatever level and whatever their background.

“Everybody got us here by buying those National Lottery tickets, so everybody should share in the success and feel the benefits.”

The ChangeMaker initiative is a partnership between The National Lottery’s operator, Allwyn, Team GB, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport to support Great Britain’s athletes to make a positive difference to social impact projects they are passionate about.