THERE were celebrations in Houston a decade ago as it became the first primary school across Renfrewshire to be awarded Fairtrade status.

Houston Primary and Nursery was top of the class after receiving the prestigious honour.

At the time, staff and children told how they were thrilled their hard work had paid off.

Headteacher Myra Hamilton said: “Achieving status as a Fairtrade school is a proud moment for Houston Primary and this achievement is due to the hard work of pupils, parents and staff.”

Delighted schoolkids celebrated the news with Councillor Brian Lawson, convener of Renfrewshire’s Fairtrade Steering Group.

He said: “I am delighted that Houston Primary and Nursery Class has become Renfrewshire’s first Fairtrade primary school. This is a fantastic achievement and I’d like to congratulate all the staff and pupils for their hard work.”

The school began its involvement in Fairtrade three years earlier by inviting representatives from Rainbow Turtle to give talks at assemblies.

Following this, pupils and staff built a range of Fairtrade projects into the curriculum, including running a Fairtrade stall and cafe, creating and making Fairtrade recipes, playing a fair trading game and learning about the impact of Fairtrade on farmers.

Councillor Lawson added: “This rounds off a great year for Renfrewshire’s Fairtrade campaign and demonstrates the range of local people who have been active in supporting Fairtrade.

“This is also encouraging for those individuals who may be thinking about forming a Fairtrade group in their community.

“To maintain Renfrewshire’s Fairtrade status, we need to keep up our commitment to helping Third World farmers get a better deal and one of our key goals is to make every town and village in Renfrewshire a Fairtrade zone.”

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