A schoolboy beat 80 other students to win a national design award for his state-of-the-art bird feeder.Tom Collier, from Langley School in Loddon, was asked to take part in the Technology Design Innovation (TDI) Awards in Worcester after impressing judges at the regional Young Engineer Awards earlier this year.

A schoolboy beat 80 other students to win a national design award for his state-of-the-art bird feeder.

Tom Collier, from Langley School in Loddon, was asked to take part in the Technology Design Innovation (TDI) Awards in Worcester after impressing judges at the regional Young Engineer Awards earlier this year.

The competition pitted GCSE and A-level pupils studying design, technology, engineering, manufacturing, product design and electronics against each other.

Tom's design - a stainless steel feeder which uses seasonal plants to attract birds - was inspired by his dad. The 16-year-old said: “I came up with the idea because my dad's interested in birds. He said 'why don't you make a bird feeder'. He said the bird table he had at the moment was old and didn't attract any birds at all.”

It has a mushroom shape and a section at the bottom to hold the plants which will draw the birds to it and act as a food source.

The student, who lives in Cringleford, Norwich, was given a laptop, trophy, certificate and vouchers as part of his award.

Steven Daly, head of design and technology at Langley School, said: “The overall standard of students' work at the competition was very high. Thomas has done exceptionally well. Norfolk should be proud of nurturing such talent.”

Tom's creation not only won over the TDI judges but has also attracted the attention of a Salhouse-based manufacturer. Macklow Engineering was so impressed with the final design that it is going to put it into production.