STUDENTS from schools across Trowbridge celebrated the importance of Fairtrade at a sporting festival last week.

Kids involved with the town’s youth parliament organised the event at Clarendon Academy on Friday which showcased the efforts of youngsters in purchasing Fairtrade Bala footballs.

The Trowbridge Youth Parliament, which is made up of representatives from all schools in the town, researched Fairtrade throughout the year as their chosen subject and even attended a conference in Bristol to fully understand the importance of ethically-sourced products.

Jayne Bullock, Collaborative Schools Manager who supported students throughout the project said: “By going to the Fairtrade conference they were more aware of what it means for things to be Fairtrade, feeding back the information they gained back to the schools.

“The schools work together a lot because every year the youth parliament have a different focus and the research they do is shared between each school.

“As a school community generally, the students are much more aware of Fairtrade from doing this project. From taking part, they are hoping to promote Fairtrade in schools by considering using more Fairtrade products in their canteen for example.”

The sporting festival saw over 150 kids take full advantage of the new equipment and they were kept refreshed by Fairtrade drinks and snacks.

There was also a carousel of ball activities including games of football, netball, cricket and rounders.