A TENNIS coach’s innovative invention, which allows baby prams to tackle difficult terrain, has reached the final of a national competition.

Lee Cowan, head coach at Droitwich Spa Lawn Tennis Club, has been recognised by The Baby Products Association’s 2018 Concept & Innovation Awards for his Sandslider gadget.

Launched earlier this year, the Sandslider allows for prams to be pulled over sand, snow and other hard to navigate surfaces.

Mr Cowan, from Bromsgrove, said: “I’m thrilled to have won through to the final four, in what is a really prestigious award.

“We had to present our product to a group of industry experts Dragons’s Den style, which was pretty nerve-racking.”

The awards will be judged at the Harrogate International Nursery Fair, the UK’s premier trade show for showcasing nursery products, in March.

“We’re launching the product at the Harrogate show, where national and international buyers will see the Sandslider for the first time,” added Mr Cowan.

Julie Milne, of the Baby Products Association, said: “The quality of entries was extremely high this year, but the judges chose the four finalists whose entries were not only innovative, but were commercially viable and addressed a market need.

“They were impressed with Sandsliders because it is a clever, but simple idea and has the potential for future development.”

Mr Cowan, who has been head coach at Droitwich for 12 years, came up with the idea for the product two years ago while on holiday in Gran Canaria.

He saw parents struggling to move their prams, buggies and pushchairs over the beach, and began to experiment with different prototype attachments.

“This is a completely new venture for me, and totally different from teaching topspin backhands, but seeing happy parents using it gives me a real sense of pride,” he said.

A promotional video for Sandsliders received over 33,000 views last week in 48 hours.