He’s more accustomed to much finer chairs, but was happy to get his hands on the tools and help outKing Charles upholsters a chair in a warehouse in Trafford Park

He’s much more used to a throne, but today The King helped upholster a refurbished chair as he visited Greater Manchester’s real-life repair shop.

King Charles visited The Renew Hub, the country’s largest reuse and repair facility. Based in a vast warehouse in the Trafford Park, it has sold almost half a million donated and reclaimed items since it opened in 2021, that would otherwise have gone to waste, raising £1.6 million for good causes.

After his motorcade pulled up at the site’s enormous set of rear shutters, and he was greeted by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and the Mayor of Trafford, Coun Jane Brophy, the King walked past scores of discarded households items from cupboards, mirrors, ironing boards, hoovers and bikes all waiting to refurbished or repurposed and sold in the hub’s three shops in Altrincham, Oldham and Salford.

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And the monarch wasn’t afraid to get his hands on the many tools at the facility, run by waste and recycling firm Suez. The King handled a compression staple-gun in order to put the finishing touches to a French-style lounger, reupholstered with fabric donated by London’s Royal Opera House.

Paul Cunliffe, 56, from Winstanley in Wigan, spends two days a week teaching volunteers at the hub about the craft of upholstering and renewing furniture. He showed The King the chair, which had been redecorated after being thrown away and reclaimed, and invited him to put the finishing touches.

King Charles staple-guns fabric onto a refurbished chair overseen by tradesman Paul Cunliffe(Image: PA)

“It was brilliant. It was very nice he got involved and had a go. It was a real honour” Paul said afterwards. “You don’t get to meet The King everyday do you?” Asked how he felt when the king took the piece of equipment, he said: “I was alright. Obviously, you don’t want him shooting himself!”

Paul said the King ‘asked about the initiative and how the volunteers get involved’ and ‘how we’re keeping the trade alive by teaching people the skills.’ “He was very supportive” he added.

The monarch met a number of other volunteers and staff members. Mark Walker, 52, from Audenshaw, who oversees the electrics and woodworking pod, had a conversation with the King about his trade being passed down through the generations. He was introduced by his nickname Muz. “Luckily he didn’t ask me why” Mark said.

The King walks with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, Michelle Pinggera, chair of the Circularity in Practice Imitative, and John Scanlon, CEO of Suez(Image: Getty Images)

When he told the King he was self-taught and that his skills had been learned from his dad and grandad, The King could be heard saying in reply: “That’s the best way.”

“All my woodworking skills I got from my grandfather and father, they passed them onto me since I was 15 or 16” Mark told the M.E.N afterwards.

He said also King asked him how rewarding the job was. “I told him it was very rewarding. You never get two days the same. Everyday is different” Mark said. “I was proud to meet the King of England.

The King is reflected in a donated mirror(Image: PA)

“His interaction was fantastic. He treats everyone the same. And you can have a bit of banter, a laugh and a joke with him. It makes you feel comfortable.”

Andrea Brown, originally from Scotland but who now lives in Ashton-under-Lyne, said she spoke to the King about how she uses her expertise in sewing to help reclaim furniture and other items.

“It was a bit nerve-wracking, but he was really nice” she said. “He was very passionate. It was such an honour. I can’t wait to get home and tell the kids!”

The King views donated and salvaged bikes(Image: Getty Images)

Sarah Tong, 47, from Chorlton, who has her own upholstery business and who has been volunteering at the hub for around 18 months, said: “It was an exciting experience, great to be a part of.

“It was a bit surreal, but he’s a very nice man. He was definitely more down to earth than I was expecting. I think he’s quite knowledgeable on the subject.” “This is the highest” she added. “I don’t think we can get much higher than this in terms of exposure. It’s quite a unique thing. It’s definitely something I’ll be telling people about for years to come.”

Rasa Balseviciute, 29, originally from Lithuania, but who now lives in Irlam, and who oversees the three Renew shops said: “It was great.

The King chatted to volunteers at the facility(Image: Getty Images)

“I definitely didn’t expect to meet him today. It’s something I can tick off my list and remember for the rest of my life.” Adding: “I am so glad he visited here today, as its such a big thing and more people should be passionate about it.”

At the visit, King Charles helped launch the Circularity in Practice initiative. The nationwide project, said to be inspired by his ‘lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship’, invites UK firms of all sizes and sectors, to cut waste and promote the circular use of materials that would otherwise go to waste.

He saw models of an office and a swanky cocktail bar, all made from remanufactured and reused materials.

READ MORE: In pictures: The King hits the DJ decks and does a spot of DIY during Greater Manchester visits

John Scanlon, chief executive of SUEZ said: “His Majesty has been super passionate about the environment and really wanting to champion how we can make sure that items that other people discard become a real valuable raw material going forward.

“So it was really great to see how interested he was. I think I can say, you know, he was here to be scheduled for a certain amount of time and that overran quite a lot because he was really keen to talk to lots of the volunteers who work here to understand what they’re doing and how they’re making things more circular.

“It was a super honour. A great privilege for me, personally, and for our company and everyone who works here, the whole team, to have their work recognised” he added.

The King waved as he departed to a round of applause(Image: Getty Images)

One of the firms to sign up to Circularity in Practice, overseen by a taskforce of leading businesses, is Therme, who are opening a huge £450 million wellbeing resort and waterpark in Trafford in 2028.

Robert Creber, Head of Social Value at the firm, said: “It was really engaging conversation actually. He was really genuinely interested in the way that companies are really helping to create circularity opportunities. He was definitely interested in the products and the craft side of the way those products are produced.

“He was really interested in our development at Therme Manchester. It’s always lovely to meet someone genuinely interested in making the world a bit of a better place. He’s been interested for years and years and years so it’s absolutely something he’s passionate about.”

King Charles takes a spin on the DJ decks on a visit to Manchester

Arthur Mamou-Mani, founder Fab.Pub, who use 3D printers to make new products out of recycled materials, said: “It was incredible. A once-in-a-lifetime experience really. It was a real conversation. I just thought he’d quickly say hello. But he asked really interesting questions. He likes craft and geometry. I was really impressed.”

“Let’s hope you can make a real movement out of it, now you have signed up,” King Charles told business leaders gathered at the event before he left to a round of applause.

Earlier in the day, he met young people who have received support from the King’s Trust charity as he toured Aviva Studios, home of the city’s arts organisation Factory International. Aspiring DJ Christian St Louis, 22, from Middleton, invited the King to try his hand on the mixing table.

Another beneficiary from the King’s Trust, Mariama Jallow, 19, from Manchester, also read one of her own poems to the King. Whilst he also watched a music performance and met young people who had learned skills in stage construction such as lighting, sound and production.

(Image: Getty Images)

Outside, The King spoke briefly to members of the public who gathered outside the city-centre venue including child-minder Jodie Pownall, from New Mills, Derbyshire, who brought along one-year-old twins Teddy and Kuba, two-year-old Jackson, and Ronnie, Stevie and George, all aged one. They were rewarded for braving the rain as Charles posed for a photograph.

The monarch finished the day with a visit to the Greencore food factory in Warrington, Cheshire. He was shown meals on the production line which will be donated to communities in need through the Coronation Food Project.

The project, inspired by the monarch, led to the formation of the Alliance Food Sourcing initiative which has ‘rescued’ more than 10 million meals from surplus food and production capacity, as well as donations from the industry.

Members of staff waited outside to see Charles before he left. Leah Ellis, 44, said she asked the King what his favourite Italian dish was.

She said: “He didn’t say but he did say he likes a good parmesan. He asked if we get to travel to Italy to try the dishes and we have been to Italy to look at products.”