Twenty-two-year-old Ben Thorpe's Switch and Ski design won him Best in Show accolade at this year's Product Design Degree Show at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), where he gained a first class B.Sc. degree in Product Design.

The concept was designed in response to a brief from the Royal Society.
The brief required a product for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) which, in Ben's words, would provide "a design for an inclusive world".

Ben, a keen skier and lover of sports, wanted to design a product that could help disabled people and give them the able-bodied experience on the slopes. Sledges are currently the only product available for disabled skiers.

The Switch and Ski allows more freedom of movement and makes access to ski lifts achievable.

Ben, who is a former pupil of Ribblesdale High School Technology College and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School Sixth Form, has also seen his idea listed in the top five of the product design category of NOISEfestival.com

The virtual festival showcases the best creative talent of young people, aged 25 and under, via the mass media. Ben's portfolio can be seen by logging on to: www.NOISEfestival.com/BenThorpe

Ben, who is about to start an MA in Product Design at UCLAN, having been offered the place along with only two other students, is now hoping to create a prototype to show to manufacturers.