THE Bude Baggers Pod came away with a win after entering the Morsbag competion to create the best design and themed reuseable bag.

With the recent 5p charges being implemented by stores across the UK for plastic bags, the Morsbag is an effective alternative.

Made from old cotton sheeets, curtains and other recyclable material, the bags are made by a group of lady sewers who are part of the Bude Baggers Pod.

There are around 1,500 pods spread across the UK, Germany, France and beyond, who have so far between them, as a collective, replaced a staggering 107,646,760 plastic bags with 207,013 handmade Morsbags.

The Morsbags help to keep material out of landfill sites. They are made locally, to a standard pattern, though they may be embellished as people see fit.

Named after their founder, Clare Morsman, the bagging movement started in 2007 whilst she was living on a houseboat in London.

Clare was concerned at the numbers of plastic bags about and the detrimental effects on the environment and wildlife.

Bude Baggers was previously called ‘Cathapple’ and was a pod of one, living inland.

There were congratulations to Bude Baggers Pod (Catherine Appleton) on getting 334 votes when they recently took part in a competition to create the best bag.

Bude Baggers said about their entry ‘Love Where We Live’: “We are fortunate enough to live in beautiful Bude and the coast, the beach and the sea are all an integral part of our lives.

“We cherish the natural beauty of our local environment, and witness daily the stark comparison between that and the man made rubbish that arrives in a never ending wave, killing wildlife on land and sea, and damaging the beautiful perfection of where we live.

“Each of our bags were designed and made by a different pod member — they are a reflection of our individual experiences of living in such a beautiful place, and the impact that man made rubbish has on it. They are also a celebration of one of the ways we can reduce the amount of plastic in the environment.”

A spokesperson from Morsbags said: “We loved running this competition and the entries were just brilliant! Bude Baggers pod won with their very excellent selection of ‘coastal morsbags’ which were voted most popular… many congratulations! Well deserved to a fantastic pod.

“We would also like to say thank you very much to Brother for supporting morsbags by donating such a fantastic prize”

At the last official count, the Bude Baggers had made 3,128 bags, making them the tenth highest pod in the Morsbag movement. Seamstress skills are not required to join the group and they are a sociable gatherin that anyone if free to check out.

They were also at this year’s BAAMFest last weekend.

To find out more about the group follow them on Facebook ‘Morsbags - Bude Baggers’.