RACHEL Hillier just wants to live a normal life. The 21-year-old is training to become a teacher and is preparing to move out of her parents' home into her first house. Rachel loves nothing more than going to the pub and having a barbecue with a group of friends. But for her to do those everyday things is really quite extraordinary, because Rachel, from Pilning, was born with Down syndrome. Ali Dent went to meet her.

CHATTY and fun, Rachel Hillier loves to laugh.

The 21-year-old student lights up a room with her smile and captures an audience with her conversation.

Rachel, who currently lives with her parents Steve and Sue in the family cottage in Station Road, Pilning, was born with Down syndrome and has received regular support from a number of different agencies.

But Rachel and her family have always refused to allow the condition to hold her back.

When she was 18, Rachel started learning to drive and inspired other young people with similar learning difficulties to get behind the wheel.

She went to Lufton College and lived with friends in a student house in Somerset and is now packing her bags to move into her own home up the road in Pilning.

But her biggest challenge so far is learning how to pass on her experiences to others as Rachel has taken to teaching.

Dad Steve said: "We found out about this course at the University of the West of England which aims to get students to a level where they can talk to business groups and people within the college environment about what it is like for people with learning difficulties.

"It is intended to lose some of the stigmas typically associated with learning difficulties because people assume an awful lot.

"Rachel is just trying to fit in and get on with life generally."

Rachel, who attended mainstream primary and secondary schools in Hengrove, Bristol, has already given a presentation and led a question and answer session with 150 student nurses.

"I have never spoken to that many people before and it was quite scary," she said.

"I told them a bit about my life and my experiences and was trying to convey how to support people with Down syndrome and learning difficulties."

UWE tutor Eric Broussine said Rachel's first teaching session was "inspiring".

"It went down really well," he said. "The students really appreciated it and some said they had been inspired by Rachel's talk.

"She really helped get the messages we want to convey across."

Rachel, who loves singing and hopes to audition for the next series of TV talent show the X Factor, is also working at the Vassell Centre in Fishponds one day a week.

"I am working on reception doing photocopying and directing people around," she said. "I am training to answer the phones as well but that is what I find most difficult.

"I would like to do more teaching and I also want to work with Mencap some more as I went to a meeting with the board of governors of the charity when I was chairman of the student body at Lufton College."

But most of all, Rachel is looking forward to what every other student in the country is hoping for - a summer of fun.

"I can't wait to move into my house and have lots of barbecues and invite my friends round."