It is set to become the next must-have item for fashion conscious shoppers - and it's available exclusively to readers who become The Herald Friends of Maggie's.

A stylish eco friendly carrier bag designed by trend-setting Scottish textile and wallpaper design studio Timorous Beasties - whose fans include Amy Winehouse and Al Pacino - is to be sent to all those who sign up as Personal or Active Friends of Maggie's.

The 100% cotton bag measures 16in by 14in and its striking design is based on the theme of nature. It was commissioned for the joint Herald-Maggie's campaign to raise awareness of the inspiring work undertaken by the charity's Cancer Caring Centres in Scotland.

The bag was created by Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons, co-founders of Timorous Beasties, and features a section of the original Bird Branch design created earlier this year by Simmons.

Mr McAuley digitally reworked the design for the bag, growing branches and fattening the bird.

He said: "It's based on the Tree of Life idea and it's a positive, organic, natural image - the very opposite of toxic.

"That's why we felt it was appropriate for a campaign supporting Maggie's Centres."

The bags are available not just to new Personal Friends who pledge £5 or more a month and Active friends (members of fundraising groups), but also those who have already signed up as a Friend in the first two weeks of the campaign.

Given the stylish design and exclusive nature of The Herald Friend of Maggie's bag, organisers expect it to become a coveted item.

Laura Lee, Maggie's chief executive, said: "Timorous Beasties are well known for their striking designs so we were very excited when Paul and Alistair agreed to do this unique item for The Herald Friends of Maggie's campaign.

"We hope it will be an eye-catching and innovative way of creating a buzz and getting people involved. And with the efforts by shoppers to get away from using plastic bags, hopefully this will become a useful and trendy collectible. It gives people a stylish exclusively designed bag that helps those affected by cancer and the environment."

She added: "Maggie's would also like to thank the generous readers of The Herald who have already signed up to become Friends of Maggie's in the past two weeks, and to assure them that everyone who has already signed up will receive a bag too."

The Herald Friends of Maggie's campaign was launched two weeks ago to help raise funds for the growing network of Maggie's Centres across Scotland. Maggie's Centres are places that offer drop-in information and support for people with cancer, their families, friends and carers. Although they are always close to a hospital, Maggie's Centres are deliberately designed as a non-institutional environment with no waiting rooms, no appointments and no uniforms. They are also known for their award-winning architecture designed by world-class architects such as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid.

To get your Herald friends of Maggie’s bag sign up for a direct debit of £5 or more a month. You can call Ellen Martin at Maggie's on 0845-508-4681 or sign up online at  https://www.edirectdebit.com/maggiescentres/  and make sure you select that your are a Herald Friend of Maggie’s.