Mathew Wilkinson, who left the Boys' Division in the summer, has seen his Technology project take him to the final of the Young Engineer for Britain, which took place at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.  Battling it out with 24 other finalists from all over the UK, Mathew picked up the award for Engineering Enhanced Healthcare and Medicine - worth £500 to be shared between Mathew and the School.     

Mathew's project, the i-Sink is a self-cleaning, intelligent sink.  It works by filling a sink to a predetermined level through a touch sensitive button.  Another touch empties the sink and then sends a further wash of water to clean the bowl.  He commented "One morning, trying desperately to think of an A level Technology project, I walked into the bathroom and saw the state of the toilet, and so I flushed it.  I then saw all the toothpaste and shaving bits my brother had left in a tide mark around the side of the sink and thought 'why can’t I have a sink that flushes?’  Bingo, there was my idea.  I believe the sink would prove useful in hotels, hospitals and care homes avoiding overflows and providing a degree of self cleaning.” 

Back in June, Mathew took part in the North-West final at the University of Salford where he was the overall winner, collecting awards for Best Engineering Craftsmanship and Finish and Best Design and Innovation.  His success at this event booked his ticket to the national final.