Young winners of a Fairtrade arts competition received their prizes at a special ceremony held on Friday (4 March), organised by Wolverhampton Fairtrade City Partnership and supported by the City of Wolverhampton Council.

All Wolverhampton schools which put a focus on Fairtrade in their curriculum were invited to enter the annual competition, organised by Ann Bickley and the Wolverhampton City Fairtrade Partnership and sponsored by The Rotary Club of Wolverhampton, Midcounties Co-operative and the Fairtrade City Partnership.

Pupils were asked to design posters highlighting the theme for this year's Fairtrade Fortnight, ‘Climate, Fairtrade and You’. 

Children from schools from across the city submitted entries with a total of 14 prize winners selected by judges. The posters are on display at Central Library over the next month.

The winning entries came from: Gia Kumari, Zachary McCullagh and Trika Singh from Bilston Church of England Primary School, Ariana Kasperovic and Xenia Bullat from Graiseley Primary School, Grace Puthussy and Poppy Pitt from St Michael’s Catholic Primary Academy, Arvind Basran from Christ Church CofE Primary School, Eshal Afzad and Tammy Vashist from Uplands Primary School, Rachel Jones and Isobel Rutter from Oak Meadow Primary School and Simran Anjlay and Lilly Rowley from Wolverhampton Girls’ High. 

They received a selection of prizes including book tokens, Fairtrade Easter eggs and goody bags for their schools at the event held at the Civic Centre.

Brenda Wile, Deputy Director for Education, said: “Fairtrade is about better prices, safe working conditions, local sustainability and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers. 

“The council is proud to support the Fairtrade community of Wolverhampton who work with businesses and schools to promote the Fairtrade philosophy which helps people across the world to a better life. It’s great to see so many children submit artworks for the annual Fairtrade competition."

Julia Farrell, Chair of the Wolverhampton City Fairtrade Partnership, added: "We received some excellent entries for this year's competition, and we had a hard time picking the winners. 

“I'd like to congratulate everyone who took part and thank them for helping to raise awareness of Fairtrade in Wolverhampton and we hope the students enjoy their visit to Central Library to see their amazing work on display for all to see." 

Local residents can support Fairtrade by buying products which feature the Fairtrade Mark. There will be a pop-up shop in the Mander Centre leading up to Easter selling a variety of Fairtrade items. 

To find out more about Fairtrade in Wolverhampton, please visit Fairtrade in Wolverhampton.