NAILSWORTH lingerie boutique Knickerbockers has helped a group of students come third in a national competition.

Four girls all aged 19 from Gloucestershire College had entered a national competition to design underwear and had chosen a 'keep calm and be British' slogan with a teapot motif.

Graphic designers Alex Elmer-Menage, Rachel Pedrette, Hannah Sweet and Vicky Davies printed 500 pairs and had to sell as many as possible to be in which a chance of winning and were only selling them via social networking sites when boutique owner Verity Symcox saw the story.

Verity put the products in her shop, Knickerbockers in Fountain Street, and helped the girls to sell around 400 overall.

ÒThe competition was launched by Ben Ramsden, a young British entrepreneur who owns a company called Pants to Poverty,Ó explained design student Vicky Davies.

ÒPants to Poverty makes and sells Fairtrade organic pants from an area of India that had a suicide count of seven a day before the company began to support the local farmers.

ÒWe were lucky enough to get through various rounds of the competition and into the final in London with our 'keep calm and be British' themed pants. We would like to thank Verity and Knickerbockers for their help.Ó