A FORMER Queen Katherine School pupil was so determined to study science she returned to studying aged 40.

And Anita Crompton has just gained a first class degree in Mechatronic Engineering at Lancaster University, 22 years after leaving school.

Prior to that she took A levels in Maths and Physics at Dallam School Sixth Form, where even the teacher was younger than her.

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“I won’t allow anything to stand in the way of what I want to do,” she said.

“I even wore clothes in the style of the school uniform so I didn’t stand out too much.”

Anita starts work this September as a graduate engineer with an international design company in Preston in the electrical, control and instrumentation division.

She first graduated from Christchurch College in Canterbury with a degree in Radio, Film Television and Movement Studies in 1991.

Five years later, she graduated from Lancaster University Management School with a postgraduate diploma in Business Analysis before working in education and setting up an online learning centre.

Due to family circumstances, Anita moved back home to Arnside and became self-employed doing a variety of jobs including selling knitted and sewn items at craft fairs.

But in 2009, inspired by her engineer father who taught her to make things as child, she studied Engineering at Lancaster University.

She said: “Lancaster certainly provided a challenging and stimulating environment.”

Her degree included a placement at a golf company in Windermere where she invented a new design for a golf club grip.

With the help of Lancaster University’s Product Development Unit, Anita created a prototype and the owner offered her a share in a new company to manufacture and market the new product.