Gold medal win for Andrew (From Barry And District News)

Gold medal win for Andrew

A DESIRE to keep his fishpond clean economically and ecologically spurred a Barry man on to win a prestigious inventors' accolade.

Andrew Case, of Dock View Road, was awarded a gold medal in the organisers' choice category of the British Invention Show 2005.

He won the medal at Alexandra Palace in London last Sunday for his invention of the Eco Filter, a contraption which sterilizes ponds using natural light as opposed to electricity.

Andrew, aged 34, said: "I never expected to win a prize!

"It came as a complete shock as I was up against around 250 other inventors.

"When I started working on the idea of the Eco Filter five years ago, I never thought that I would be entering it into a competition. I just wanted to keep my fishpond clean and clear.

"But as my invention developed over the years, I realised that it was original, money saving and very marketable."

When Andrew decided he would enter his design into the competition, he went to the Welsh Development Agency.

Although the WDA did not fund his creation, it provided him with all the necessary legal advice and support.

Andrew is a former RAF chef who was medically discharged after he developed Crohns Disease.

He is married to Nicola and has three young children, but has been out of work since leaving the forces.

He said: "I have always been creative, and had a brilliant job before where I could use my skills in the kitchen.

"But I've never been a person to give up. I can't go back to being a chef because of my illness, but I am definitely going to further myself and concentrate on developing the Eco Filter.

"Hopefully someone will want to invest in the product."