On Monday, April 24, members of the Bude Baggers, Bude WI and the Plastic Movement headed down to the Parkhouse Centre and set up their sewing workshop for the day.
With 30 people turning out throughout the day to help and show their support, several individuals stayed for the entire day to sew, iron and stitch.
Mary Hallett, a member of Bude Baggers, told the Post: “It went really, really well. We made a total of 166 bags — we were quite surprised with that, but a lot of people came along to show support.”
The bags are made from reusable materials, such as old duvet covers and lightweight curtains. Mary continued: “We use duvets, curtains — lightweight curtains — nothing too heavy or else the bags will be weighed down, but any materials people don’t want, we will use to make the bags. We then cut the materials up to the right size, to use for the bag itself and a pair of handles.”
The idea stems from Clare Morsman’s original thought to help rid the UK of its plastic pollution, helping marine wildlife in the process. She started ‘Morsbags’ around ten years ago, and it has gone on to become a national phenomenon. Since it first began, 234,211 Morsbags have been made, meaning 121,789,720 plastic bags have been replaced.
A local lady in Bude, Catherine Appleton, had been making Morsbags for a long time and finally took the step to create the town’s very own Morsbag-making group, the Bude Baggers, in 2014.
Mary, who has been a member of the Bude Baggers for nearly two years, explained that members of Bude Baggers have also gone on to take part in beach cleans in the area, where they got to know the local lifeguards.
The Plastic Movement was introduced in 2016 by a group of Bude lifeguards, who are hoping to banish the plastic pollution from the shores.
Plastic bags, used mainly when shopping, have become a detrimental problem to the future of the marine environment. An example of this can be referred to the young minke whale that was found washed up in Normandy, France, in 2002. The contents of its stomach included shopping bags, food wrappers, dustbin bags and other plastic bags.
The 166 Morsbags made at this recent event in Bude will now be given to the Plastic Movement, who will hand them over to local shops and businesses to give away for free during the summer. Mary said: “The bags will be distributed around the town and businesses who are working for a greener ethos in Bude.”
She added: “A massive thank you to the Bude WI; several members stayed for the whole day, sewing and ironing the bags. We really couldn’t have done it without their help.”
Jim Scown, a Bude lifeguard and one of the founding members of the Plastic Movement, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to everyone at Bude Baggers and the WI for making these Morsbags. It’s such a fantastic idea, a great way to reuse materials and promote sustainability — and they look great!
“We’re especially delighted that all the hard work will lead to a reduction in the amount of single use plastic bags in Bude. Our aim is for Bude and the local area to become a beacon for sustainability in Cornwall and beyond. Passionate people behind community schemes like this give us the belief that the dream will increasingly become a reality. Keep an eye out for these Morsbags in local shops later in the summer.”