ROUNTON Coffee Roasters, Climate Action Stokesley and Villages, and The Only Weigh Out in Stokesley came together in organising a competition to find a new and creative use for a Hessian sack.

Sacks and a leaflet explaining the competition were collected from The Only Weigh Out, Rounton Coffee Roasters were the judges, and prizes were supplied by both companies.

One of the judges, Tomas Keavney, announced the winning entries, and thanked all participants.

"In first place we have this amazing backpack. A really well-considered design, and looks fantastic. Sturdy enough to be used for a long, long time. In second place is Cappuccino the bear. So much time and thought has gone into this creation – a very handsome chap indeed, and in third place we have this utensil holder – a great design which could be used for all sorts of things – perhaps for garden tools and getting people out into nature."

He stated that there are now more than 100 sacks which have been given a new lease of life, and said he hopes it will help to make people think about looking to up-cycle other items in creative ways. He also thanked Climate Action Stokesley and Villages and Adam Carroll and Mary Elizabeth Webb at The Only Weigh Out for making the competition possible.

Mary and Adam said: "It's been wonderful to see such inventiveness from the local community. Entrants have highlighted brilliant ways to reuse materials which has resonated with many, showing how things we don't often think of as useful, really can be. We are positively blown away by the diversity and quality of the creations. Well done, everyone."

Caryn Loftus, from Climate Action Stokesley and Villages, added: "As there were so many fantastic designs, we are hoping to put together a display of all the entries to share ideas on how to use what might be seen as waste."