Push for North Lanarkshire to become Fairtrade Zone

A Fairtrade mural which highlights the key message of the cause

This follows an exploratory meeting which was held in the Muirfield Centre, Cumbernauld, earlier this month that was organised by organised by the Scottish Fair Trade Forum and Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirikintilloch East MP Stuart McDonald.

At the meeting it was decided to hold an inaugural meeting in the autumn to form a Fairtrade Steering Group with appointed office bearers.

However, before that a series of information events will be held and due to the geographical size of North Lanarkshire it was suggested to hold events in each part of the area in the first instance.

The first of these is at Holy Cross Church hall on Wednesday, June 6, at 7.45pm, with further meetings to follow in the Motherwell and Monklands areas.

Despite Motherwell, Airdrie and Wishaw have Fairtrade status North Lanarkshire as a whole lags behind 80 per cent of Scottish councils who are already Faitrade Zones.

Cumbernauld East councillor Claire Barclay is to investigate adding a Fairtrade Resolution to the agenda of a future council meeting.