Kings Lynn Scout leader and Co-op store manager delivers Fairtrade message to youngsters
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 25/02/2021
A Central England Co-op store manager has marked Fairtrade Fortnight (24 February – 7 March) by delivering virtual workshops to hundreds of young people, including his own Kings Lynn Scout Group.
Jamie Twell, Store Manager at the retailer’s Mulbarton store, is helping to deliver dozens of sessions to Beavers, Cubs and Scout groups over Zoom to help educate children about Fairtrade across two weeks of celebrations.
Jamie, who is also a Group Scout Leader at the 12th Kings Lynn Scout Group, made a special effort to deliver the workshop to his own group on Wednesday evening.
The 12th Kings Lynn Scout Group received a grant from the retailer’s Community Dividend Fund to create a computer suite for the benefit of scouts and community groups across the North West Norfolk area and the work was almost completed when the pandemic forced the group to move on to virtual platforms.
The group had planned to have a celebration day to open the facilities and say thank you to Central England Co-op for helping to make the project happen so the chance to team up and bring the Fairtrade message virtually to the Scout group members was a perfect opportunity.
Jamie said: “The pandemic has highlighted how important education and experiences are for children. A lot of opportunities have been taken away for children to interact and learn and our face-to-face workshops are not currently possible, but by finding innovative ways to engage with the future of our planet we can help to spread the Fairtrade message.
“I live in Kings Lynn and have seen the amazing things that the 12th Kings Lynn Scout Group have done to help engage and support young people during the pandemic.
“I was more than happy to be able to provide this opportunity for them and the idea of saying thank you for the grant to create a fantastic computer facility, which they have unfortunately been unable to use yet, was such a lovely gesture.”
Beaver Group Leader Tracey Clark said the Central England Co-op Fairtrade workshop fit in well with the range of online activities the children have been enjoying and it was a great opportunity to thank the retailer for the grant.
She said: “Since the beginning of lockdown, the 12th King’s Lynn Scout Group have adapted and overcome the many challenges of not being able to meet ‘face to face’. We started meeting online way back in April 2020 and have continued to do so every week until now.
“While planning the upcoming terms programme of events for the children, we discovered that Fairtrade Fortnight was coming up and Jamie mentioned Central England Co-op offer workshops to youth groups.
“The Beaver Scouts are currently working towards their Global Issues Activity Badges and enjoyed finding out about the benefits of fairtrade in the world.
“We were excited to be able to thank Central England Co-op for the substantial grant which has enabled us to complete the computer suite which we are all very much looking forward to using when we can once again meet 'face to face'.
“After spending a complete year of online Scouting, we are now even more aware of the benefits the IT suite will offer for not only the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts but also for the wider community groups who use our headquarters.”
More information about Fairtrade at Central England Co-op, as well as downloadable resources for schools and young people, can be found at https://www.centralengland.coop/food/healthy-living/everyonesinvited
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About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral and property investment.
Owned by hundreds of thousands of members, its 7,550 colleagues serve customers across over 400 trading sites in 16 counties in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
The Society’s purpose is to inspire communities to help create a ‘sustainable Society for all’, a strong and successful business that is invested in protecting the environment and the wellbeing of its colleagues, members, and customers.
Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle
Phone - 01543 421390
Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop