23rd of January, 2013
Present: Mary Popple, Averill Marks, Alice Curteis, Julian Crowe, Sarah Duley
Apologies Peter Robinson, Marie Robinson, Izzy Corbin
Matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting, 4 October 2012
AC had been in correspondence with R Pead and the text about St Andrews being a Fairtrade Town will be reinstated in the next Official St Andrews Map and Guide.
Liaison with the University Fairtrade Steering Group – MR attended the meeting on 15 Oct; MP to attend the next one on 4 Dec. ACTION:MP
Instead of a pop-up shop, SD had arranged for Dos Mundos to have a stall at the Very Vintage Christmas Fayre at the Younger Hall on 24 Nov. We decided not to use our banner because it needs to be repaired. AC to contact PR re this. SD to see about getting the University Fairtrade banner instead. ACTION: AC,SD
Website MP to continue updating the directory and to send list of new premises to AM for production of certificates, including the wording ‘fairly traded’ where appropriate. ACTION: AM,MP
Fairtrade Scotland booklets The delivery of booklets to the public library had generated press coverage: a photo and article in the St Andrews Citizen. Many booklets had been distributed as discussed at the previous meeting to St Andrews schools, hospital/health centre, tourist information centre, town centre shops/cafes, and churches. SD to take some to BESS and to the Christmas Fayre. ACTION: SD
Fairtrade status renewal AC, JC and MR had met on 9 Oct to start work on this, focusing on our plans in relation to the five goals over the next two years. MR had collected information about fair trade actions and products currently used by Fife Council (Goal 1). We decided to dedicate the next meeting to completion of the renewal application.
Update on campaigns
B&Bs. MP to reconnect with R Pead (St Andrews Hotel and Guest House Association), and to contact P Izatt (St Andrews B&B Association) to offer a speaker on Fairtrade. AC to talk to the tourist information centre about ways to encourage the use of Fairtrade in the accommodation sector, following on from MR’s recent visit when staff there expressed an interest in promoting Fairtrade. ACTION: AC, MP
Work places. L Brown, secretary of the Merchants Association, had forwarded our questionnaire to members to update information on their use of Fairtrade products. Two responses were received producing new information about the sale or provision of products to the public, neither relevant to the work place campaign. SD reported that Flavia coffee machines are being phased out of the University and that the replacement machines have a Fairtrade option.
Just Trading’s 90kg rice challenge. John Riches will give a talk in St Andrews in School III, on Thurs 28 Feb during Fairtrade Fortnight. We will need to organise publicity etc and agreed to do this nearer the time without calling another meeting. ACTION: ALL
The ‘education person from FFTF’ Rona Maclean-Ross will organise a meeting for him to promote the challenge to teachers at 4.30 that day, and we hope to arrange a talk to school pupils on 1st March.
Three churches had committed to the challenge: Quakers, St Leonards and Cameron. It seems that where we are personally known we have had results. MP and AC to approach St Andrews Episcopalian Church again. We will invite church members to John Riches’s talk. SD reported that the University had procured 250kg rice for use in risottos. ACTION: AC,MP
Rona Maclean-Ross will be promoting the challenge in Fife schools.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2013
In addition to John Riches’s talk, as above, it was suggested that we organise a collage competition for primary schools, similar to the one we ran in 2007(?). Following the meeting AM came up with the specifications of the earlier competition; AC and MP to get these to schools in early January. We will also support the University group’s plans for a Great Fairtrade Bake Off involving Student Cooking TV. We may update the directory. All action relating to this to be arranged by group email in the New Year. ACTION: ALL once we decide what needs to be done
AOB
MR and PR had attended the Community Council reception on 16 Nov and made contact with the President of the Students Association and the manager of the hospital.
Next meeting 7.30pm, Thursday 24 January, 57 Lade Braes - TBC