Koolskools relations with the City of Aberdeen, Scotland’s very first Fairtrade City, are going from strength to strength, and in a quite unique and interesting way!
Andy of Koolskools was formally introduced to Aberdeen’s very own and special Fairtrade banana, “FT Banana”, by Sue Good of the Aberdeen City Fairtrade Group during Fairtrade Fortnight 2015. FT Banana subsequently introduced Andy to Peter Hutchison of North Link Ferries, Aberdeen. Shortly after that North Link showed their support for vulnerable Fairtrade cotton farmers by purchasing some Koolskools polo shirts made with Fairtrade cotton for their workforce. You can see Peter of North Link with FT Banana in the photo here .
FT Banana will be going on his first overseas trip on 14 November, when he accompanies Mike and Andy to Mauritius to visit the Koolskools Fairtrade-licensed factory there. FT Banana will be able to meet Pamela Intelligent, our seamstress who visited Scotland under the auspices of the Scottish fair Trade Forum and the Edinburgh Fair Trade City Group (see our March 2015 blog) for Fairtrade Fortnight 2016, when she “wow’ed” audiences the length and breadth of Scotland with her incredibly moving and inspirational life story.
FT Banana also went down very well, so to speak, when Andy visited St Joseph’s Roman Catholic School in Aberdeen in September. The children loved FT Banana, and we are pleased to say that they also loved their new Koolskools school uniform made with Fairtrade cotton. St Joseph’s are really showing the way to other Aberdeen schools by embracing Fairtrade uniform and enhancing their Fairtrade credentials by so doing.
So, we are delighted that FT Banana will be coming with us to Mauritius, and we hope that all the children in our client schools, especially those in Aberdeen, will monitor FT Banana’s progress as we introduce him to the factory staff, and take him on a photo tour of the factory – photos which we are hoping to tweet as we go!