Gemma Almond and paralympian Ellie Simmonds team up

Almond is keen to spread the message of the recent London games, which she believes has changed the perception of paralympic sport.

So she took time out from her preparations for January's World Championships to help out Simmonds train 20 teenagers from local swimming clubs in Swansea, where Almond is based studying for a history degree.

Fellow medallists Matt Whorwood and Rob Welbourn and former paralympic champions Nyree Kindred and Sam Hynd also joined in with the session.

After reaching the finals of the 200m medley and 100m butterfly at London, Almond is targeting medals at the 2016 games, which are to be held in Rio de Janeiro.

And the 19-year-old, who suffers from hip dysplasia, is adamant paralympians must retain their own separate identity despite the relative successes of the likes of sprint amputee Oscar Pistorius when racing against able-bodied sportsmen.

Almond said: "There are some who ask whether we'd merge but I think we should be separate. If we were on the same level I think we'd be ignored eventually. Being a separate body of sport is good for the profile we are now getting.

"Competing at London was the biggest thing in my life and it has put paralympics on the map.

"London was a fantastic experience but, when I went home to Shrewsbury, I came down quite quickly.

"And I have been back in the water training for a while now for the World Championships.

"Ellie Simmonds and I are really good friends – there's four of us in the high performance group and we are all very close."

Almond is a member of the British Gas GBR Disability Swimming Team.

British Gas has been the principal partner of British Swimming since 2009 and is encouraging everyone in Britain to discover the benefits of swimming.