Published: Wednesday, 3rd February, 2010 1:04pm

Eight-year-old Scott is youngest inventor in running for top award

by Hamish Hutchinson

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TILLICOULTRY youngster Scott Ballantyne with some of the designs for his board game, which has made him the youngest ever inventor to be in the running for the John Logie Baird Award.

AN EIGHT-year-old from Tillicoultry will pit his wits against some of the country's top inventors after creating a board game while he was off school battling serious illness.

Scott Ballantyne is the youngest ever competitor to make it through to the John Logie Baird Award junior section and will be up against competitors in their 30s or even older.

He will face a Dragon's Den-style presentation at Edinburgh University and if Scott makes it through to the final five he will be invited to a dinner at Glasgow Science Centre on 18 February where the winner will be announced

The Tillicoultry Primary pupil came up with his 'Advent-ure board game' last January, aged just seven, whilst he was recuperating from a compacted bowel and a ruptured intestine.

The condition - which causes a hole in the stomach - can prove fatal due to possible infection, and his mum Trisha was told that the illness could have been an emotional reaction to her failing eyesight.

Scott was off school for six weeks and Trisha gave him an old advent calendar and some paper and cardboard to play with. The talented youngest devised a board game inspired by his favourite film 'Pirates of the Carribean'.

Under each opening there are different challenges and the game can be customised to suit different occasions, such as Halloween, Christmas or even Valentine's Day.

There is also a second version of the game where counters are placed in each window, which correspond to a set of questions, and can again be personalised to suit families interests.

Trisha told the Advertiser, "Scott is always coming up with inventions and I am so proud of him for even getting to this stage.

"To be honest if I had known that he would be up against 30-year-olds I don't know if I would have entered him but I think I am more nervous than Scott.

"He isn't fazed at all and even just for him to take part is amazing. Although it would be fantastic if he won, it all just depends on how it is judged.

"Most children nowadays wouldn't know how to amuse themselves and spend a lot of their time sitting in front of a computer - you certainly can't say that about Scott.

"He has so many different ideas but I thought this was one of his best and had the most marketing potential.

"We have a patent for it but we now need £3000 to come up with a prototype.

"The game can be customised to suit families' individual interests and the board itself can be personalised with a picture or message."

Scott added, "I have invented lots of different things and really enjoy it because I like using my imagination.

"It is quite a good pastime to have. I like doing it because it makes me happy."