Scottish pupil named a Time magazine girl of the year for solar-powered blanket design

Rebecca (right) joins nine other girls from across the world on the magazine’s first list to spotlight girls’ achievements. Photograph: Photo-illustration by Time

A Scottish schoolgirl has been named a “girl of the year” by Time magazine after she invented a solar-powered thermal blanket to help rough sleepers keep warm.

Rebecca Young, 13, came up with her design after seeing homeless people struggling in subzero temperatures on the streets of her home city, Glasgow, in winter. She said her message to young people was: “If you see a problem you think you can fix, you can do something about it.”