About 100 people packed into Logie Kirk Hall in Causewayhead on Saturday for a Fair Trade fashion show—the finale in an action packed Fair Trade Fortnight put on by the Stirling Propeller Group.

Seven local young models walked the catwalk to show the wide range of Fair Trade fashion items now available—designer T-shirts, jeans, jumpers, shoes, and fashion accessories. The items were provided by Scottish-based Rainbow Turtle and two other Fair Trade specialists, Hug and Terramar. Fair Trade wine tastings completed the evening with wine provided by Woodwinters of Bridge of Allan and Rainbow Turtle.

Sylvia Jackson, MSP, highlighted the Scottish Executive's commitment to follow the lead of Stirling and other Scottish cities and towns and make Scotland a Fair Trade Nation. One of her key priorities is to push Fair Trade procurement up the agenda. A clear message is needed across the public sector to go for Fair Trade suppliers, not just for food and wine but also for cotton products, like clothing and bed linen. This needs to be the next big push on Fair Trade.

Jon Cape, Propeller Group Coordinator, echoed the message given by Simeone Green, from the Windward Isles, who gave a stimulating talk at Stirling Methodist Church on Wednesday.

Simeone stressed how Fair Trade had eliminated the terrible diseases of polio and diptheria and, through 100% child immunisation, had greatly reduced child mortality rates. The "Fair Trade Premium" goes to the community, not the individual farmer, and people agree democratically on how it should be spent. Simeone is currently based in the UK and talks regularly to schools, supermarkets and mnay others. "You just have to carry on being awkward customers" he said. "Supermarkets may not always like you but they are having to listen." He described his experience with one major supermarket chain in the UK. After new owners came in, getting the Fair Trade message across got more difficult. However, persistent customer pressure won the day and the supermarket eventually agreed to send its buyers on a visit to meet Fair Trade producers first hand in the Windward Isles. They had to give customers what they demanded.

Schools also played a key role in Fair Trade Fortnight, with Bannockburn High School devoting a day to linking Fair Trade issues to its curriculum across the age groups, with support from Brian Baker of Stirling Fair Trade Propeller Group.

These pages documenting some of Fair Trade Stirling's events are arranged like a slide show, so you can scroll forward or back by clicking on the appropriate arrow, or:
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