THERESA May was on hand to officially open a flagship research facility in Reading.

The Prime Minister was invited to Bayer UK's state-of-the-art laboratory and celebrate the occasion with students from her constituency.

Baylab, based at Green Park, has seen more than 3,000 young people come through its doors to learn more from the professionals.

It is the first Baylab to open in the UK and the centre will allow teachers to take learning outside the classroom with a diverse range of demonstrations.

Speaking at the grand unveiling, the Prime Minister said: “It is great to be here to officially mark the opening of this brilliant new facility.

"Baylab UK is an example of how leading life science companies, such as Bayer, can support the growth of UK science and build the science base of the future by inspiring students to use innovative ideas to find solutions that can benefit society.”

Reading Chronicle:

The team bring science to life for visiting schoolchildren, guiding the young minds through practical experiments.

Pupils have had the chance to extract their own DNA for a unique piece of jewellery and even use forensics to solve crimes.

It is hoped that more than 4,000 students will be invited to the facility by the end of 2018.

Lars Brueing, Bayer UK & Ireland CEO, added: “At Bayer, we are of course very passionate about science, and this is why we wanted to create the Baylab so that we could physically contribute to the UK in helping to support science education and STEM from the bottom up.

“We believe that if we can inspire young people to pursue opportunities in science, as well as help support teachers by delivering the national cirricullum, then we are helping to make a difference.

"We must all remember, that the future of science is all around us, therefore it is vital that we engage with our young people of tomorrow, after all, they are the ones who will be finding solutions to some of the greatest challenges in the future so supporting them now is fundamental.”