FROM BOUNCY CASTLES TO BAGS OF STYLE

GEORGIA WYATT-LOVELL made her first foray into a new world of environmental awareness when she whipped up a tote bag from the PVC covering of an old Seventies sun lounger. ‘I thought it might be fun,’ she says.

After that, the former ceramicist began asking deckchair attendants if she could take the damaged fabric they were throwing away to increase her repertoire of quirky bags and purses.

Now, nine years later, Georgia has a small team recycling old bouncy castles and unwanted inflatables.

‘We’ve saved around 40 tonnes of plastic fabrics from landfill — 15 tonnes in the past six months alone,’ she says.

Last year, her company, Wyatt And Jack, set up an ‘inflatables amnesty’ which asks anyone to post their unwanted inflatables and beach toys to save them from landfill. Each product carries a tag declaring its provenance and asks purchasers to send the bag back at the end of its life so the fabric can be repurposed again.

‘I send offcuts to a lady who makes earrings and to a surfboard maker in Newquay who makes bangles,’ she adds.

This summer, beach rangers in Dorset are collecting unwanted inflatables to send to Georgia and her team. In return, the bags are being sold through National Trust shops in the area (items cost from £5 to £125).

wyattandjack.com