THOUSANDS of pupils across Redditch are being invited to compete to design the eco home of the future.

The winning school will get £4,000 towards an eco project - such as solar panels - and see the design used as the basis for the development of an actual eco home.

The competition was launched by Matrix Housing Partnership, which plans to build thousands of environmentally friendly and affordable homes across the Midlands by 2012.

Dr Chris Handy, chairman of Matrix, said: "One of the biggest challenges facing society today is providing affordable housing which is both high quality and has a low impact on our environment.

"Children have fantastic imaginations and with the help of local schools, we want to involve them in creating designs for the homes of the future - the kind of homes that they one day might live in."

A book of the best designs will aslo be published and showcased at the Chartered Institute of Housing national conference next year.

Schools can register by emailing eco-competition@accordha.org.uk