A young entrepreneur from Monmouthshire, with a passion for inventing, is hoping to create some fizz in the automotive industry.

Oliver Stokes’ inventions were first recognised in 2014, when he took the top prize at WJEC’s Innovation Award for creating a portable drinks carbonator. The 18-year-old first thought of the idea when he noticed a bottle of Coke in his fridge had gone flat.

He said: “I kept getting really annoyed that the last bit of Coke in the bottle was always flat. I thought there should be a way to inject fizz back into bottles once they’d been opened and put fizz into drinks which were never fizzy in the first place. I’d researched SodaStream’s products along with several market competitors’ but wanted to develop a product that was much smaller, less expensive and more eco-friendly; you have to buy specific SodaStream bottles to inject the co2 into and the canisters aren’t refillable.

“My Gas 2 Go device is pocket-size and although originally prototyped in aluminium, is 3D printed from PLA (a type of plastic) with a stainless steel and brass valve system so it’s light and you can take it anywhere with you. I’ve made the co2 canisters refillable so it has a less harmful environmental impact and you can screw it onto any fizzy drink bottle. Loads of my friends have even asked me to make them one!”

Since winning the Innovation Award with his portable drinks carbonator, the former Monmouth Boy’s School pupil has gone on to invent more products including a cocktail fountain and a multi-functional night vision scope system. He’s also devised a one-person remote control launch system for clay pigeon shooting and an automatic bandage roller for his horses.

The Innovation Awards is an annual competition partly funded by Welsh Government, aimed at encouraging GCSE and A level students across the county who are studying WJEC’s design technology courses to harness their imagination and invent a brand new product.

Previous winning entries at WJEC’s Innovation Awards include a cycling aid for people with prosthetic limbs and fencing machinery aimed at making life easier for farmers in rural Wales.

Steve Howells, lead subject officer for Design and Technology at WJEC said: “Oliver’s invention serves as an inspiration for all young inventors. He wanted to provide an alternative to what’s already on the market and proved to be a big success.

“Each year at the Innovation Awards, we see such a huge variety of inventions; from small gadgets which help our everyday routines, to highly specialised creations. All of the projects we see showcased at the annual competitions take a great amount of dedication and hard work the students who take part.”

In the last year, Oliver has finished school and started up his own business; doing anything from small car body repairs to cutting down trees. But, he has now set his sights on the automotive industry. He has recently applied to Aston Martin and is in the process of applying to Jaguar Land Rover to study on one of their apprenticeship programmes, hoping to specialise in either product development or design.

To find out more about WJEC’s Innovation Awards, visit www.wjec.co.uk