Parky's bright idea

Broadcasting legend Sir Michael Parkinson has spoken of his delight at being involved with the Advertiser-backed Bright Idea challenge prize.

The Royal Borough initiative is reaching out to residents, businesses, inventors and entrepreneurs to come up with an innovative solution to a problem affecting the borough.

Bray villager Sir Michael is an ambassador for the scheme and will play a key role in the judging process, with a prize of £800 for the winner and £400 and £250 respectively for the two runners-up up for grabs.

The rest of the £20,000 pot made available for the scheme will be used to implement the best ideas.

The former chat show star said he was happy to become involved with the initiative and was keen to see what ideas residents and workers in the area will come up with, particularly the younger generation.

"They [the Royal Borough] thought very carefully about it and it's not just a whimsical idea," he said.

"They came along with an idea I thought was a good one. It's good to get young people involved in the place where they are going to live."

The 78-year-old said he wanted to see as many schools as possible submit entries for the competition after chatting with pupils at Newlands Girls' School for the launch of the prize last week.

"They [children] look at it from a different idea," he added. "What they would like to see I would like to see."

Sir Michael, who said there's 'an awful lot that's not right and needs putting right' in the area, is keeping an 'open mind' about the entries that come in but listed improvements to public spaces and making better use of the riverside among the changes he would implemented.