SHOPPERS visiting Carhampton Community Market tomorrow (Saturday) will be given free handmade cloth bags to encourage them to ditch environmentally damaging plastic ones.

June and Clare MacDonald have been busy making reusable fabric bags through the online www.morsbags.com initiative, which aims to replace all plastic bags with fabric alternatives.

They also made a giant bag to advertise the market and the anti-plastic initiative.

Free fabric bags will be given to everyone calling in to the first market after the summer break, which takes place between 10am and 1pm tomorrow in the Carhampton Recreation Centre.

Markets are held monthly and sell a wide range of produce, from plants and crafts to secondhand clothes and books.

All money raised is put towards the cost of restoring the community centre.

Pauline Else, of Carhampton Recreation Committee, said: “These lovingly sewn bags will be given away free and are being provided by June and Clare who are passionate about replacing plastic bags.

“They want to reduce the amount of plastic that inevitably ends up in the world’s oceans, damaging seabirds, mammals and fish.”

Seabirds and turtles mistake the plastic for food and ingest fatal amounts of it.

As well as the free bags, shoppers will also be able to try their hands at making their own bags from newspaper with help and guidance from local woodturner Patrick Clothier.

Donations of material for making reusable bags would also be welcome and more information about the market is available from Lis Passmore on 01643 821442.