Who says Charles is irrelevant?

Prince of Wales's curtains to be made into carrier bags
The Prince of Wales is to recycle his old curtains into carrier bags as part of a new campaign to promote sustainability.

By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter
Published: July 28, 2010The Prince of Wales will launch his Start intiative in September (Photo: GETTY)

Visitors to a 12-day long garden party being staged on the Mall in London in September will be able to sew their own Morsbags out of curtains which until recently hung in Clarence House.

The Prince regards the Morsbags scheme – named after its founder, Claire Morsman – as a perfect example of the way everyone can reduce waste.

Morsbags, large, square shopping bags carried over the shoulder, are made by volunteers all over the country and given away to the public to help reduce the millions of plastic carrier bags used every day.

The garden party in the grounds of Clarence House, which will be open to the public, will be used to formally launch the Prince’s Start initiative, which aims to encourage sustainable living.

It will feature a wide range of exhibits giving ideas on how everyone can cut down on waste and conserve natural resources at home, in the garden and at work.

Celebrities including Alan Titchmarsh and Antony Worrall Thompson will be on hand to give expert advice and demonstrations.

The Prince said: “This festival aims to give people of all ages a fun day out, while at the same time, via the many imaginative exhibits, demonstrating the small steps that can, and are, being taken by all of us interested in building a more sustainable future.”

It will be the first time the gardens of Clarence House have been open to the public, and will also feature the gardens of the neighbouring Lancaster House, part of the Foreign Office, and Marlborough House, the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The garden party, which runs from September 8-19, will also include music concerts, debates, comedy and fashion shows.