A Polzeath-based charity is organising a competition for the University of Exeter (Penryn Campus) to design water fountains for beaches.

They hope that by designing the fountains locally, they can reduce the environmental impact of importing them from abroad.

Tina Robinson, who created the charity behind the project Our Only World, said: "“What we are hoping this competition ultimately will achieve is the development of an efficient and cost-effective South West design that will be the natural option when choosing what refill station to install, whether on a beach or in the city. We question why our water refill stations are made in the USA when we have all this great mining and engineering knowledge in this part of the world.

“Not only will we have a new British product to be proud of but we will also save the environment by not having to transport the equipment across continents. It is also our aim to give the students taking part in the competition an incentive to develop their portfolio and gain future employment.

“The idea of seeing refill stations on every beach came with me from Australia where they are almost everywhere. To see our first two installed earlier this year was one of my proudest moments and to see politicians and the community around us engaging with the idea is truly fantastic.”

Students from the University of Plymouth will also take part, and the winning design will be awarded £500.

Polzeath Marine Conservation Group, of which Tina is the treasurer, has already installed two water refill stations in Polzeath and Rock which have seen more than 15,000 litres drawn, saving thousands of single-use plastic bottles from entering the ocean.

Our Only World welcomes support from businesses and individuals, especially from anyone with engineering expertise. Please contact Tina Robinson at ouronlyworld@outlook.com or visit www.ouronlyworld.org.uk for more information.