Mother of all good ideas: the baby gear exchange

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Joanna Pearce runs an online network for parents to buy and sell secondhand items including prams, clothes, high chairs and furniture.

The website, nappyvalley.co.uk, has proved a hit, and now the mother of two from Balham has a chance of winning £10,000 in the Future Friendly Awards.

Mrs Pearce, 34, juggles working on the website with looking after her sons Sam, three, and Joshua, nine months.

She said she came up with the idea after discovering how expensive baby equipment is, and for how short a time it is needed for.

"I was a mum at home wanting to buy some second-hand stuff for my child, but I realised it wasn't easy," she said. "I went on eBay but I had to be online all the time bidding, which was difficult.

"I realised others in the neighbourhood would be in the same position - where I live is nicknamed Nappy Valley because of the crazy amount of mums and pregnant women.

"I wanted to provide an easy facility for local people to buy what they needed online, then go round to the seller living nearby and hand over the cash. Not only is it easy to find the things you need, but it saves a lot of money for items you would only use for a few months or a few weeks.

"For example, a Bugaboo pushchair - which everyone wants to own - costs about £700 new, but they can go for £250 on the website." The network also means families do not have to travel far to find what they need - saving on fuel and cutting harmful emissions.

Mrs Pearce said that if she won the prize she would use the £10,000 to extend the service to more neighbourhoods.

"Every mum in the area knows about the website and it's really popular. It would be lovely to see more mums have the same access if we could expand it."

The Future Friendly winners will be announced at a ceremony hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald in central London on 6 March.

Another Londoner on the shortlist is Kirsty Dias-Watson. She came up with the Water Watch - a tiny device that can be attached to a tap to remind people how much they are using. Sir Trevor said: "We have seen hundreds of incredibly inspiring entries from real people across the nation - all making efforts to make a tangible difference."