A tutor in Cornwall was stunned to see his work being shown alongside the stellar line-up of acts on Glastonbury Festival’s main stage.

Andy Hughes, who is a photography tutor at Truro and Penwith College, said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw his photo being shown next to the Pyramid Stage as part of an environmental campaign against the single use of plastic bottles .

He said: “A few of our ex-students were there tweeting me ‘Andy we have just seen your picture.’

“To think that between each major act, those messages were seen by thousands of people is amazing. One of the bands, Disclosure, were playing live in front of 10,000 people alone.”

At last year’s festival Andy had been taking photos for Melinda Watson, the brains behind one of the UK’s first sustainable advertising agencies. His brief was to highlight the issues around single use plastic bottles and to encourage people to refill their bottles or purchase metal canisters, in an effort to reduce waste.

He returned this year to see the impact of their efforts, but was honoured when he saw his image appearing repeatedly in front of thousands as part of the campaign to ban single use plastics by 2030.

He said: “Over time plastic bottles leach chemicals through heat, and they tend to get furry in the dishwater. Stainless steel drink canisters are available from a number of retailers including the SAS and WaterAid and are a great alternative.

“One of the biggest problems facing the planet is plastic water bottles. We have water everywhere we don’t need to buy it each time in plastic containers.

Andy has worked for decades with organisations such as Surfers Against Sewage, Greenpeace and WaterAid.

He is currently working on a new book, packed full of images portraying an alternative perspective on Glastonbury.