A STUDENT has won the National Young Designer of the Year award for an idea which could help people badly injured on isolated hills.
David Lister, 18, from Yarm, near Stockton, Teesside, will be able to oversee work worth at least £8,000 to see if his design can become a reality.
David, who is studying design at A-level, won one of two awards at the Audi-sponsored final on Saturday at the Gateshead Baltic arts centre.
He has spent a year, including nearly every day of his summer holidays, designing a mechanical device which more efficiently distributes weight from stretchers through harnesses around the bodies of stretcher-bearers.
The device also allows a person to be carried more smoothly over rocky terrain.
David received the Mind to Market Award, one of two main awards, chosen from 26 finalists from the UK. He had earlier won the North-East heat.
David, who attends Yarm School and is also studying art and psychology, said: "I got the idea when I was on the Duke of Edinburgh Awards tramping over fields.
"Basically, I got the idea because my rucksack hurt.
"At the awards, I did not actually hear them announce my name, but everyone started looking at me and applauding and I thought 'that must be me then'.
"It has taken a lot of work. I basically redesigned the whole concept over the summer and built a new prototype.
"I cannot wait to see it tested by the professionals."
Design teacher David Dunn said: "We are very proud and I know his parents, who attended the final, are, too."
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