Strathaven Academy celebrate first year of Fairtrade status

Mar 11 2010 by Sandra Walls, Hamilton Advertiser

STRATHAVEN Academy celebrated its first year of Fairtrade status last month in the new Strathaven Academy building.

The school also attended a special event on Saturday, February 27 in Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall as part of Scottish Fairtrade Fortnight.

What started last year as a Fairtrade T-shirt competition, escalated into a major school event sponsored by organisations such as the Merchant House in Glasgow, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury, Co-operative and Scotmid, and supported by groups including the Glasgow Gospel Choir.

The show, MadinaFest, celebrated the market place which is “fair and sustainable” in a very multi-cultural way.

In the months before, pupils initiated a Bollywood dance group and attended workshops with Erick Valentine Mauricia and Bruno Lowit in preparation for African dancing.

The events highlighted the exceptional talent of pupils like Rhona Anderson and Johanna Wedgewood, whose Eco Fashion designs took first and second place in our new Eco Fashion awards.

Daibidh Moyes, accompanied by Erick and Bruno, piped in the flags of Africa, while pupils modelled African tartans supplied by David McGill of Tartans for Africa.

Kate Rankin and Eleanor Porte provided entertaining drama that explained the benefits of Fairtrade while tying the whole thing into Strathaven's own weaving history.

The school's Robert McNair of the history department, was cast as the 1820s radical workers' champion, Purlie Wilson.

This particular connection has been a focus of the work carried out by Liz McArthur with the local primary schools.

Liz is principal teacher of RME in the Academy and Strathaven Fairtrade Education co-ordinator.

Headteacher Elspeth Banks said: “A Fairtrade Eco bag featuring the designs of two primary school pupils will be going on sale in the summer term.”

This venture helps to support a cotton co-operative in KV Kuppam, India, visit: www.bishopstontrading.co.uk

Mrs Banks added: “Strathaven Academy hopes to continue to build on new partnerships and strengthen its connection with Fairtrade and Africa, having successfully linked with Maveya Full Catholic Primary School in Malawi in 2008.”

Photographs of the MadinaFest were taken by Strathaven Academy’s award-winning photographer Mhairi Anderson of S5.