BRIGHT ideas can hit you any time of the day, from walking in the park to sitting on the loo. Archimedes, the Greek scholar, famously saw the light when he stepped into a bath, watched the water rise and in a trice changed the face of mathematics forever.

Consumed by enthusiasm, he proceeded to run through the streets of Syracuse stark naked.

Phillipa Smith, on the other hand, had her eureka moment at the kitchen sink in rather more subdued style. A rubber glove might have gone flying, but that was about all. Because the schoolteacher from Bishampton, near Eveshamm probably didn't realise then what she'd hit on.

Being specially commended in a national sustainability awards scheme was never on her radar.

But on Thursday, March 6, the year two teacher from Flyford Flavell First School, near Pershore, will travel to London to take her place at the Future Friendly Awards, where Sir Trevor McDonald will distribute the prizes.

"It's something I never even thought of," said Phillipa. "I'm not an inventor. I just had an idea. In a way I feel a bit of a fraud."

However, that's not how the organisers of Future Friendly see it. They see Phillipa Smith's water diverter as a neat way to waste less of the stuff. It all began with that most common of domestic chores and something with which we are all familiar.

Phillipa said: "One day last summer I was at my mother's doing the washing-up when it suddenly struck me how much water we waste waiting for the hot tap to actually run hot.

"When you turn it on, it always runs cold and then lukewarm for a while until the hot water arrives. I thought there must be a way of saving that water that runs off first. A sort of valve that would divert the water into a storage container until it was running hot.

"That was all I had really, an idea buzzing around in my head."

And that might have been that, had she not picked up a weekend supplement of the Daily Telegraph in October and seen a sustainability competition that was looking for ways to save waste.

"Just for fun I decided to send in my idea in," she said. "I had to describe it in 50 words. I was absolutely amazed when they wrote back after Christmas asking for more details - which at that stage I hadn't got."

Recognising things were getting serious and slightly technical, Phillipa enlisted some help. She went round to her local plumber in Bishampton, John Clarke, described her idea, and asked if it was feasible and what sort of gadget would be needed.

Her elder son Matthew, aged 17, who is involved in an engineering project at Pershore High School, helped with the design, and younger son William, 15, put everything down on e-mail. Pershore High teacher Neil Harding ran the rule over it all and off it was sent.

The judges of the Future Friendly Awards were really impressed.

Their summary ran: "Phillipa Smith has been commended in the Adult Innovation Award category for the project Water Diverter.

"This involves an invention of a switching device for the kitchen sink that controls a two-way valve. This allows you to divert water from the waste pipe to fill a water-butt outside when running the hot tap while waiting for water to reach required temperature. The initiative impressed the judges with its creativity and impact."

Sir Trevor McDonald added: ""We have seen hundreds of incredibly inspiring entries from real people across the nation; all making efforts to make a tangible difference. This is a great achievement and the people of Pershore can be extremely proud of Phillipa Smith and her fantastic work."

So it will be a new outfit for March 6 at the Banqueting House in London's Whitehall, while back in Worcestershire, the children at Flyford Flavell First School, where Phillipa is eco-cordinator', urging everyone to be more green', will be cheering her on. She said: "I'm just amazed by it all. I never once thought anything like this was going to happen."

Eureka indeed.