Schools score for Fairtrade
Gooooooal!! Pupils from across Leeds and Wakefield put Fairtrade in the back of the net!
Friday 22nd June saw schools from across Leeds and Wakefield come together to celebrate Fairtrade and learn about the people who make footballs at Leeds Civic Hall.
This annual event, run in partnership with Leeds Development Education Centre (DEC) and Fairtrade Leeds for the 8th year, featured special guest Angus Coull from Bala Fairtrade Sports balls. Pupils had a go at making their own footballs and learnt about how Fairtrade means that football workers in Pakistan can now benefit from free eye care and subsidised glasses and free school books and backpacks for workers’ children. The Fairtrade Premium also part funds projects such as water purification plants located just outside the factory gates so that anyone in the community can take advantage of free, safe drinking water.
“It is particularly important that we focus on the people who create the footballs during this World Cup, who often are paid low wages for the hours of work they put into stitching the balls together” said Hannah Langdana, from Leeds DEC.
Pupils from Brownhill Primary School commented “We loved the event. We all got to learn something new about Fairtrade!”
The Coop sponsored the event and provided real life case studies of how Fairtrade can change the lives of the farmers and their communities.
Other special guests included Hilary Benn MP who said it was a “Fantastic event” and the Lord Mayor of Leeds Cllr Graham Latty. Stalls were run by The Beehive Fairtrade shop, Europe Direct and Leeds DEC.
