6 June 2012 Last updated at 08:17 ET

'Living carpet' at York Minster for Diamond Jubilee dinner

The carpet, which covers about 1,500 sq m (16,146 sq ft), has been installed in the minster's 14th Century nave.

York Minster has been fitted with a "living carpet" of grass as part of celebrations to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The carpet, which covers about 1,500 sq m (16,146 sq ft), has been installed in the Minster's 14th Century nave.

The grass would protect the Minster's floor during a 900-guest dinner on Friday, a Minster spokesman said.

Grown in felt made from recycled textiles, and not requiring soil, the carpet will be removed after the event.

The turf carpet will be removed from the minster after the charity event

'Extraordinary event'

The grass would make the dinner a "spectacular" fundraising event, said Minster Chamberlain Dr Richard Shephard.

"The need for funds to restore and conserve the historic fabric of the Minster is never-ending," he said.

"I'm sure this extraordinary event will do much to assist us in our work."

The "living carpet" has previously been used to create an indoor rugby pitch at London's Grosvenor Hotel, to make grass sofas for the National Trust and to create a temporary village green in Trafalgar Square.

As well as celebrating the Diamond Jubilee, the charity dinner was also being held to celebrate the naming of a rose after the minster, said Dr Shephard.

The York Minster Rose was unveiled at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2011 with a presentation to the Duke of York and Princess Beatrice.