A WHEELCHAIR basketball star who landed a Bronze medal for England has returned to the Barrow school where he spent his early years.

Staff and pupils at St James' CE Junior School were delighted to welcome back their former pupil Tyler Baines on Tuesday morning.

Tyler was among a four-man squad who won the bronze medal for England in the Commonwealth Games this summer.

Baines played alongside two-time Paralympic bronze medallist and current World and European Champion Lee Manning, as well current Diploma in Sporting Excellence athletes Charlie McIntyre and Abderrahim Taghrest.

He was part of Team England's wheelchair basketball squad that clinched bronze over Malaysia in Birmingham.

Tyler returned to St James’ to talk about his journey so far from starting out at Hoops Basketball Centre in Barrow to now being a Commonwealth medallist.

A spokesman for the school said: “We were delighted to welcome Tyler Baines back to school, who recently won a Bronze medal for Team England at the Commonwealth Games.

“Tyler was a former pupil at St James’ and came back to tell everyone of his journey: from starting an entirely new sport one evening at Hoops, to being a Commonwealth medallist. He has recently being playing professionally in Spain, before moving back to the UK to play in Sheffield.

“Tyler will soon be representing team GB in Madrid and everyone would like to thank him for coming and wish him the best of luck as he continues to represent the country.”

Winning his first major international medal on home soil was a moment to cherish for 20-year-old Tyler.

READ MORE: Wheelchair basketball star reflects on Commonwealth medal

"Everyone was there, all my family came, and no one could really believe it back at home,” said Tyler, who is a member of Aldi’s Rising Stars, a programme that supports 20 young athletes by providing a financial award to help with training and competition costs, while also delivering personal development opportunities to many athletes through workshop sessions.

"It was crazy when we got given the medal - we were dressed in our podium outfits and it was just surreal.”