Day three of the Start royal tour

The Prince of Wales meets local children during his visit to Todmorden Image: Dave Thompson/PA Wire

A recycled greenhouse, innovative local food scheme and free breakfasts for cyclists were among the events on the third day of the Start tour on Wednesday.

The Prince of Wales began his journey in Newcastle where he visited Ouseburn Community Farm, which provides environmental and heritage education and training for children as well as artists’ studios and outdoor activities such as horse riding. Here he opened a new beehive as part of a city wide initiative to boost bees. He also spoke with volunteers in the kitchens and the gardens and saw an innovative recycled greenhouse made of plastic bottles.

During the visit, The Prince of Wales was presented with a jar of honey and some homemade chutney. The Prince said he would save the gifts to have as a treat following his Christmas dinner.

After Newcastle, it was onto the Fair Trade town of Todmorden and a local market set up to showcase the Incredible Edible initiative. This project encourages businesses, schools, farmers and the community to increase the amount of local food grown and eaten in the town. The Prince talked to volunteers, market traders and residents who were all part of the scheme.

Incredible Edible Todmorden was set up two years ago, and vegetables and fruit have sprung up everywhere. Even public flower beds have been transformed into community herb gardens and vegetable patches.

The Prince visited another extremely popular volunteer programme with local businesses in Todmorden: Eco Kids.  Here, sustainability messages such as waste management, energy efficiency and growing your own foods, and other such issues are tackled. Volunteers creatively communicate with children the impact they can make on changing attitudes by telling others about what they’ve learned.  And how they can have a positive effect on the world in which we live.

The Prince of Wales and farm manager Mandy Oliver look inside a greenhouse made of plastic bottles during a tour of the Ouseburn Community Farm in Byker, Newcastle. Image: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

The Prince’s final stop of the day was Manchester, where the celebration of sustainability began early this morning when city cyclists were treated to a free breakfast of cereal, coffee and fruit, handed out by volunteers from British Cycling.

Later in the evening, The Prince hosted a dinner at Gorton Monastery for politicians, community groups and business leaders. The dishes on the menu were made from ingredients sourced in the local area.