A FORMER student from Highworth who went on to become director of a charity gave a keynote speech at a conference held at Cirencester College.

Tom Edwards studied geography at the college before leaving in 2011. Now a director of PHASE Worldwide, a charity in Nepal which empowers isolated communities through sustainable health, education and livelihood opportunities, he returned to speak at the college's inaugural Geography Conference.

The college hosted the conference to demonstrate to current students the breadth of career prospects available to them and give them the perfect opportunity to meet some of the country’s leading representatives for geography, from universities and the business world.

Keynote speaker Gill Miller, senior vice president of the Geographical Association, opened the conference by giving a talk on ‘Why Geography Really Matters' before Tom took to the stage to talk about his experiences working in

Tom Bint, head of school for Environmental and Animal Sciences, said: "It was wonderful to see Tom back at the college. He was a delight to teach and we’re so proud of all he’s achieved both at university and through his development work in Nepal. Having inspirational and leading figures like Tom and Gill spare their time to talk with the students has been really powerful.

“Geography has moved on from the days of learning capital cities and flags. Migration, climate change, energy insecurity, poverty and inequality are all challenges facing us in the 21st century and these are all topics covered within geography. Ultimately, it's geographers who are best equipped to respond to these issues, they understand the back story. Our aim was to enthuse the students and help them understand how their studies apply to the world beyond the classroom. A huge thank you to all of those involved."