Portway Primary visits Thames Refinery

Thames Refinery hosts Portway Primary for their World of Work week

Our Thames Refinery was pleased to host Year 6 students from Portway Primary, West Ham, for a Dragon’s Den workshop as part of their World of Work Week.

Having learned about Ethical Business at school, groups of students presented their ideas for an ‘ethical business’ to our panel of Ethical Business ‘Dragons’. The ‘Dragons’ included Nana Asante, Chair of the Harrow Fairtrade Campaign, Caroline Verdant, leader of Citizens UK Newham, Julia Clark, Director of Sugar Ethics, Claire Crill, Head of Corporate Affairs, and Chris Abell, Head of Local Affairs & Property at Tate & Lyle Sugars.

The students shared their ideas for “ethical” products like ‘Coco-vibes Ice cream’ made with Fairtrade ingredients sourced from Jamaica and packaged in recycled plastic, and “Crazy 4 Coco’s Coconut Chocolates”, made using Fairtrade cocoa and sold in recycled and recyclable packaging. The Dragons were particularly impressed with Coco Deluxe’s personalised cosmetic facemasks made from Fairtrade certified ingredients and packaged in wood sustainably sourced from already fallen trees. The presentations tested the students’ public speaking skills and their ability to handle questions under pressure, which they did admirably. Certificates were awarded to all groups for their efforts, including Best Presentation, Most Unique Invention, Most Ethical Business and an individual award for the Best Public Speaking Skills. Students also had the opportunity to grill the Dragons on their careers to date, and why they love what they do.

“Trade Justice is at the heart of a fairer world and it is critical that children understand the importance of Fairtrade and have the opportunity to visit a thriving business which has survived over 140 years with ethics at its core” Nana Asante, Chair, Harrow Fairtrade Campaign.

Tate & Lyle Sugars’ Thames Refinery hosts visits from local Newham primary schools in collaboration with Inspire! (formerly 15Billionebp). These visits complement classroom-based learning about careers and the world of work. Past visits have focused on learning about careers in engineering. We’re committed to inspiring young people in Newham to reach their potential and aim to bring jobs and careers to life through a visit to our Thames Refinery.