Welcome to Renfrewshire community website 
Outstanding achievement for Renfrewshire’s Fairtrade campaign
Home > News and Events > News - release archive > 2008 > July
Renfrewshire's campaign to become a Fairtrade zone has been praised by Scotland's Minister for External Affairs after winning an outstanding achievement award from the Fairtrade Foundation.
Linda Fabiani MSP commended Renfrewshire's campaign for being the only Scottish entry to win a Fairtrade Fortnight Award 2008.
Linda Fabiani MSP commended Renfrewshire's campaign for being the only Scottish entry to win a Fairtrade Fortnight Award 2008.
She said: "I congratulate Renfrewshire Council on this great achievement which sets a wonderful example for other local authorities to follow. Fairtrade is an issue that many people in Scotland care about deeply and I welcome this valuable step forward in our drive to make Scotland a Fairtrade Nation."
The news came as a welcome surprise for Renfrewshire's Fairtrade Steering Group which had submitted a bid for the Best Outreach and Networking Campaign following the Fairtrade roadshow run during the fortnight.
However, all entries in each category are also considered for the overall outstanding achievement award and the judges chose Renfrewshire's campaign as their winner.
Councillor Derek Mackay, chair of the Renfrewshire Fairtrade Steering Group, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for Renfrewshire's Fairtrade campaign. It proves how hard everyone is working towards this goal."
"The response from all areas of the community has been so positive and that has pushed the campaign on. However, there is still much more to be done and we plan to keep up the momentum with further events and initiatives planned over the coming months."
During Fairtrade Fortnight, the steering group ran a Fairtrade Roadshow which visited venues across Renfrewshire including Glasgow Airport, Braehead shopping centre, Renfrew Sports Centre, Castle Semple Visitor Centre and the University of the West of Scotland. Members of the steering group were on hand manning a stall giving out samples of Fairtrade products and information on Fairtrade.
Also during Fairtrade Fortnight, nurseries and schools organised events and activities such as stalls, class information sessions, Fairtrade assemblies, Fairtrade recipes and Fairtrade snakes and ladders.
In partnership with other Fairtrade organisations, a Fairtrade coffee morning was also held in Paisley Town Hall with a special guest speaker, Kenyan tea farmer Julius Ethang 'Atha. He spoke about how Fairtrade has benefited him and his community and was impressed at the level of support in Renfrewshire.
Sarah Jewell, campaign coordinator for the Fairtrade Foundation, said: "Renfrewshire did especially well in its outreach and publicity work helping to spread awareness of the difference Fairtrade is making for millions of farmers and workers across the world."
"Involving schools from nurseries through to primary and secondary schools showed a clear enthusiasm by the campaign to attract and educate the next generation. By having a road show, the Fairtrade message was able to reach audiences who may not have previously been exposed to Fairtrade."
"These are just some of the many reasons why we felt your campaign deserved the Outstanding Achievement Award."
The steering group have also produced a Fairtrade Guide to Renfrewshire and are developing Fairtrade Information Packs.
Anyone interested in a Fairtrade information pack or Fairtrade Guide should contact Pauline Moss on 0141 840 3611 or Nicola Irvine on 0141 840 3505.
Press release: Wednesday 9 July 2008
