Dome watch

"There's absolutely no point unveiling a product and then telling people they can't buy it for two-and-a-half years." So said Peter Mandelson of the designs selected for his Millennium Dome.

We disagree. So in the third of our series of updates on the contents of Mandy's Big Top we introduce - the plastic bucket. Easily cleanable, developed by Oxfam engineers for carrying water in developing countries, this bucket with a lid may not sound futuristic, but in Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire it is already saving lives.

The 14-litre container is durable and stackable, and when full it can be carried on the head African-style. Created by an Oxford-based team led by Andy Bastable, it is designed to bring in water rapidly in the first stages of a disaster.

The plastic bucket may eventually be sold in Oxfam shops.