St Andrews Fairtrade Town Campaign

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4th of August, 2025

AGM and Minutes 4 August 2025

St Andrews Fairtrade Town Campaign Group AGM

4^th August 2025

Present PR, AC, MP, PM, AM, MR

Matters arising from minutes 14.04.25 - none

AGM business: Election of office bearers and annual financial report

· PM in the chair for the election of office bearers as follows:-

Chair PR, proposed MP, seconded AM

Vice Chair MP, proposed PR, seconded AC

Secretary AC, proposed AM, seconded MP

Treasurer AM, proposed MR, seconded AC

· AM provided the annual report

Opening Balance £2419.73

Expenses for prizes for Fairtade Schools competition £34.50

Cost of transporting glasses to Malawi £140

Closing Balance £2245.23

Treasurer Averill Marks, 5th August 2025

Update on spectacles for Malawi

· MP will contact Howard to get an update. ACTION MP

Renewal of Fairtrade Community status

· We will wait until after Fairtrade Fortnight to submit our renewal application.

· If need be we could ask JC to help with uploading documents.

· MR invited our ideas for future plans:- working with Madras College and St Leonards; consolidating links with the R & A; continuing to work with the University; noticeboard, including keeping it up-to-date.

· Suggestion from Scottish Fair Trade (SFT):- email all councillors to get a Fairtrade champion for the ward. MP will contact Karena Jarvie to get her advice on this. ACTION MP

· MR to contact Al Clark, Cupar Fairtrade and Dalgety Fairtrade groups ACTION MR

International Fair Trade Towns conference, Edinburgh 30-31 August

· PR to attend

Website and social media

· MP to deal with the website data issue, currently ‘missing’ from the internet. ACTION MP

· AC to contact Amy Manvell, who started work as the University’s Sustainability Coordinator for 2025/26 on August 1^st. We will ask her to meet AC and MP and discuss how to set up a social media presence. (Amy subsequently wrote to introduce herself, mentioning a visit from a Belgian Fairtrade Town group on August 26^th) ACTION AC

Noticeboard

· Once PR has a set of keys and a doorstay, currently on order from the manufacturer, he will arrange with Keith Hayes of the Men’s Shed to get the noticeboard put up. ACTION PR

· PR to get a photo of the board being put up. ACTION PR

· We will appoint one of our group to keep the display updated once we have a clearer idea of what this will involve.

Madras College

· MP reported on her meeting with Madras rector Ken Currie. They discussed links with Business in Geography and Home Economics departments.

· This could include holding a Big Brew event on a Friday afternoon during Fairtrade Fortnight, perhaps Friday 26^thSept. MP to meet Nicola Cargill, home economics teacher. ACTION MP

· Students could then be invited to make refreshments and to speak, reporting on all this, at our celebration on Nov 21^st.

· Group members are likely to be needed to help with the Big Brew.

Fairtrade Fortnight – Be the Change, 22 Sept to 5 Oct

· Madras College Big Brew (see above).

· Banners. To be placed outside St Leonards Church and Baptist Church in South Street or, if this isn’t possible, Morrisons or the Town Hall. ACTION PR/MP

· Flag. MP to confirm with the Town Hall. ACTION MP

20^th anniversary celebration

· AC to draft an invitation, to be sent to those previously invited and to: Charles Sim (SFT), Graeme and Ailsa Beebee (St Leonards Church and School), Lorna Hutcheon (St Marks), other St Andrews churches (2 people each), Ken Currie, Nicola Cargill, Madras students, Martin Passmore (CC), Amy Manvell, R&A sustainability officer, Principal Sally Mapstone, Lesley Caldwell (University Comms team), Karina at Naturity, Oxfam shop manager. ACTION AC

· Time. 7-9pm.

· Food. Madras students to be invited to make nibbles. We would pay costs.

· Drinks. Ask Anstruther Coop to provide FT soft drinks, as a donation, with us paying half? or sale or return.

· A 10-minute talk of our journey through 20 years, accompanied by pictures. St Leonards has a new projector.

· We will invite Martin Rhodes to speak if he’s able to come. Currently he is planning to.

· One or two other speakers - Catherine Newman (SFT), possibly Madras students, Amy, Sally Mapstone, Lesley Caldwell …

Open Golf 2027

· MP to contact the new sustainability lead at the R&A to check that they are complying with their commitment to use Fairtrade products during major championships. ACTION MP

AOB

· MP had received a handwritten note of congratulations from Martin Rhodes on behalf of the cross-party parliamentary group for fair trade.

· Sainsburys’ tea is once again Fairtrade accredited.

· True Origin has a new Impact Partners scheme. MP to provide details. ACTION MP

Date and venue of next meeting

· Monday 15^th September 7.30 at 3 St Leonards Road. To make arrangements for the anniversary event.