NEWS ARCHIVE
Cornwall College Gains Fairtrade Status
Students and staff are celebrating after receiving the news that Cornwall College has been awarded Fairtrade status and can now officially be known as a Fairtrade College.
The College has been supporting Fairtrade on all of its campuses in Camborne, Newquay, Saltash and St Austell as well as Duchy College in Stoke Climsland and Rosewarne and Falmouth Marine School over the past four years.
A Fairtrade University or College is one that has made a commitment to supporting and using Fairtrade. They ensure that Fairtrade products are available in as many places as possible and they raise awareness of Fairtrade and the benefits that it brings to producers in developing countries with students and staff.
Cornwall College Students’ Union (CCSU) has been a driving force behind the campaign to achieve Fairtrade status, actively organising events to promote understanding of the Fairtrade ethos amongst students and staff.
Activities during Fairtrade Fortnight each year have included giveaways of bananas, tea, coffee and chocolate and talks raising awareness of farmers in developing countries. The Union has committed to only using Fairtrade tea and coffee during meetings, hundreds of signatures have been gathered from staff and students in support of the campaign and the team have worked to improve procurement policies within the College so that produce is purchased from ethical sources.
Cornwall College Sports Department also got on board by pledging to only buy Fairtrade sports equipment where possible.
Toni Pearce, President of CCSU, said: "Over the last four years, Cornwall College Students' Union has been working to achieve Fairtrade status; something that shows our commitment to ethical purchasing and procurement and is just one example of many ways the College works to broaden the horizons of our students.
“I am absolutely delighted to have been awarded Fairtrade status by the Fairtrade Foundation, and feel that it goes to show that students' campaigning really can make a difference. I'm very proud of the students I represent for helping to make this happen and of staff at Cornwall College for being so supportive of the process."
Dave Linnell, Principal of Cornwall College, said: “As an organisation we are committed to supporting global initiatives to aid the development of better working conditions for people worldwide. I commend the work of all involved in promoting Fairtrade across Cornwall College and am delighted that we have now achieved Fairtrade status.”
The Fairtrade Universities and Colleges scheme, overseen by the Fairtrade Foundation, started in 2003 when Oxford Brookes University became the first Fairtrade University. It was quickly joined by the University of Birmingham and then the scheme took off as People & Planet groups across the country took up the challenge. There are now over 120 Fairtrade Universities and Colleges in the UK, with many more working towards status.
