A brilliant morning exploring the newly opened cutting-edge Aston University Design Factory Birmingham as the High Sheriff of the West Midlands. 
Design Factory Birmingham is an exciting development for Aston University providing digital and physical design solutions for businesses including: prototyping, design innovation, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and data science. It is part of a global design factory network with 39 innovation hubs in 25 countries located in advanced universities for technology and research centres. Design Factory Birmingham is located on Aston University’s campus and is only one of three in the UK. It brings together students, staff, industry partners, and entrepreneurs to collaborate, learn, and create new products that solve real-world problems; allowing students to have real life experiences of working on projects with businesses through challenges, internships and PhDs.
It was particularly special and very emotional for me to see the pioneering work that they are doing in designing different kind of wheelchairs. I had a life changing accident when I was 20 and spent nearly fours months in a wheelchair. My accident will haunt me for the rest of my life but yesterday I was highly appreciative of seeing the pioneering work with wheelchairs at this special design factory.
Thank you to Christina and Timothy for the invitation to visit and for your kind hospitality. Huge quodos to Aston for being so much more than a University in so many special and pioneering ways and creating solutions.
