They had a tremendously hard act to follow, but Britain's talented Paralympians showed they were more than up to the task in Beijing.

Following the nation's best Olympic Games for a century, Team GB's disabled athletes went even better by finishing second on the medal table behind hosts China. The team punched well above its weight of population, winning a best-ever 42 golds and 102 in total, behind China's 87 golds in a total of 207.

Athletes from the West were particularly successful.

On the final day yesterday, the Hereford-based blind football team secured fifth place by doing what the sighted England football team never seem to do – win a penalty shoot-out. The five-a-side team drew with South Korea 1-1, before pipping them with a Dave Clarke penalty.

Captain Aj Ahmed and his team, who train at the new football academy at the Royal National College for the Blind, have had the experience of a lifetime. Head coach Tony Larkin was proud of what the squad had achieved that and was already looking forward to London 2012.

"They worked tremendously hard preparing for these games and it was a real pleasure and privilege to be part of them" he said.

"It was a first for blind football in this country, but the lads should feel really proud. We all hope it marks the beginning of something new and exciting for the sport."

Dorset cyclist Darren Kenny was the West's most successful Paralympian, taking home four gold medals and a silver. The 38-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, said: "Winning gold feels fantastic and after all the hard work it is all worth it."

And the region had a strong contingent within the para-equestrian team, which defended its title with ease.

Simon Laurens, from Birdlip in Gloucestershire, and Anne Dunham from Wiltshire, were part of the victorious quartet. Anne also shone in her individual event, picking up gold in the grade 1a individual championship, as well as another silver medal.

"I still can't believe it," she said. "I'm scared to pinch myself in case I wake up. I'm so grateful to my owners, my support team and my country." Simon also won a silver.

Sascha Kindred delivered not only a gold medal but a world record in the pool. The swimmer from Hereford's victory in the men's SE7 100m breaststroke took his career gold medal tally to six. Kindred, 30, who has cerebral palsy, produced a devastating final 50m to beat Australia's Blake Cochrane. "That's the double hat-trick, I'm really chuffed," he said. Kindred's girlfriend Nyree Lewis, 27, also from Hereford, won silver in the S6 100m backstroke.

Wiltshire-born Heather Frederiksen, 22, scooped a gold in the S8 100m backstroke and a bronze in the 200m individual medley.

Among the most inspiring performances was that of University of Bath sprinter Ben Rushgrove overcame a fractured foot to win the T36 100m final on the now famous Bird's Nest track.

The next Paralympics will be in London 2012.

As another spectacular closing ceremony lit up the night sky in Beijing yesterday, back home in Britain, duelling wheelchair fencers joined schoolchildren from Haygrove in Bridgwater and five other local schools as Somerset County Council helped celebrate the Paralympic Games handover on behalf of Team Somerset.

The event included a variety of sporting activities including a wheelchair basketball session coached by The Stingers, a Taunton-based wheelchair basketball club, a game of boccia, and a fencing demonstration by wheelchair fencing club The Wellington Swords.

Somerset County Council chariman Alan Gloak and Somerset's High Sheriff Annie Maw celebrated the handover, along with Lee Hamlyn, a member of the Great Britain boccia team.