Chilwell Donation Centre Champions Sustainability

Sustainability is not just a word at The Salvation Army Donation Centre in Chilwell, it is something that manager Caren takes very seriously and tries to always bring into the shop through new ideas and activities. And one initiative, in particular, stands out as a great idea brought to life through an amazing team effort.

Morsbags is a global movement that started back in 2007. It was founded by Clare Morsman, who wanted to reduce plastic bag use. Her idea was straightforward: take old, unwanted fabric, turn it into reusable bags, then give them away for free. Today, that simple idea has grown into a worldwide community of sewing groups, known as “pods”.

Closer to home, the Morsbags Stapleford pod began in March 2025. Vanessa, inspired by the project, brought together a small group of friends to get started. What began with just three people quickly grew and within weeks, more local volunteers joined. Today, the group has 32 members, each playing a role, from sewing to collecting fabric and connecting with the community.

And in June 2025, a social media post led to a great collaboration. Vanessa connected with Caren at the Salvation Army Donation Centre in Chilwell and from there, a brilliant partnership began. Caren donated preloved bedding and fabrics from our donation centre, giving new life to items that might otherwise have gone to landfill. Vanessa also helped connect more volunteers, with 22 people now supporting the donation centre through this Morsbags collaboration and in September 2025, the Chilwell donation centre opened its community space for fortnightly sewing sessions.

This is how “Morsbag Mondays” were born. What started with just three sewers has grown into regular sessions of up to ten people, travelling from across the area to take part. Some have even learned to sew from scratch, using donated machines and the donation centre is buzzing every Monday with excited volunteers and curious customers.

The impact of this project has been incredible. The group has made 5,855 bags to date. Each bag can replace up to 500 single-use plastic bags in its lifetime which means an estimated 2,927,500 plastic bags kept out of landfill. This is a huge achievement, and a powerful example of sustainability, which is why we are taking this opportunity to highlight Caren’s and Vanessa’s amazing work during Great Big Green Week 2026.

Thank you Caren, Vanessa and Morsbag Monday volunteers for such an amazing initiative and for daring to care for our planet.

↪ You can find out more about Morsbags on Facebook: Chilwell Donation Centre Facebook Page