Fairtrade award honour for school

Reporter: by BEATRIZ AYALA Date online: 21/01/2009

PUPILS and staff at Thorp Primary School are celebrating after it became the first Fairtrade primary in Oldham. Youngsters from the school in Westerdale Drive, Royton, have taken the Fairtrade message to heart. Not only do they commit to using Fairtrade products such as coffee and hot chocolate where they can, but the pupils are aware of the need to improve conditions for workers around the world. The school has even established a Fairtrade committee which meets after every half term to plan events and activities. As a result, Thorp Primary has achieved the first Fairtrade status for a primary school in Oldham. The school has achieved its aim thanks to the hard work of teaching assistant Elizabeth Barratt and deputy head teacher Heather Burtonwood. Miss Barratt (24), from Royton, said: “The school started by having special assemblies during Fairtrade fortnight to give an idea about what it was all about. “We have since been introducing activities and ideas to support the cause. “Sometimes it is about selling products at school events and other times about looking to promote the idea in the community.” During the school’s Christmas fair, pupils and staff set up a Fairtrade stall selling fruit skewers made from Fairtrade fruit. And thirsty teachers can always grab a mug of Fairtrade tea and coffee during break times, complemented with a Fairtrade biscuit for dunking. Miss Barratt added: “Fairtrade is a family passion as my mum, who is a community governor, has always had the brand at our home. “I’d like to think it’s making a difference. “I do have pupils coming up to me and saying their parents have bought the products because of what they have learned at school. “It is definitely something every school could do.” Fairtrade is an international movement which ensures that producers in poor countries get a fair deal. This means a fair price for their goods, one that covers the cost of production and guarantees a living income, and long-term contracts which provide real security.