A prize well won

I was delighted to see that my local YWCA at Lochend won the Community Category in the Edinburgh Fairtrade Awards. Well done to them!

This is great news for the Lochend YWCA as they are a hugely community based organisation doing great work providing a huge variety of activity for local people, especially women. In particular it is a much deserved accolade for Fiona who runs the cafe for her dedication and hard work sometimes in an uphill struggle.

Its the YW that I was able to start the drop in cafe for teenagers that now runs 2 nights a week and it also played host to the Lochend Food co-op which I help found. Its also was the venue for the highly successful women into work courses that I was able to find support for and had two brilliant mornings exploring political life from the womens point of view.

I am a huge fan of Fairtrade. Its amazing that from such a humble start of coffee and chocolate there are now over 3000 Fairtrade products. I remember the early years with Campaign coffee. it was foul tasting stuff sold in packets that burst really easily when you opened them and the stuff would go everywhere and was hellish to get off clothes and worktops. But we stuck with it for the cause!

Times have changes so much that when I was Executive member for Children and families I was able to arrange for every school to be provided with a Fairtrade football. Everything we do can help others if we so choose, even what we by to eat, wear or play with.