A sculpture of St Paul’s Cathedral made entirely of Fairtrade products was yesterday unveiled to the public.
The unveiling of the sculpture comes as the Diocese of London celebrated the first anniversary of its accreditation as a Fairtrade Diocese.
Michael Hampel, Canon Precentor of St Paul’s, attended the launch alongside key Fairtrade representatives such as Henry Matenga, a producer of Fairtrade sugar from the Kasinthula Sugar Growers in Malawi, Nina Tweddle, chair of the Diocese of London Fairtrade Group and Sophi Tranchell, Chair of Fairtrade London and Managing Director of Divine Chocolate, a wholly Fairtrade company.
The sculpture of St Paul’s was designed and created by Amanda Hughes, Children’s Church Co-ordinator of St Mary’s, Finchley to celebrate the Diocese’s support for the Fairtrade initiative. The sculpture symbolises the unity of the Diocese in its Fairtrade mission, with the model railings surrounding the Cathedral highlighting the names of all 237 Anglican churches within the Diocese of London that have a Fairtrade certificate.
The model, which is eight foot in length and three foot tall, is made exclusively of the packaging of Fairtrade products, such as Fairtrade tea boxes, chocolate wrappers and even banana stickers. The packaging used in the creation of the sculpture were collected after services in London churches, donated by members of different congregations keen to support the cause.
The sculpture will be on display by the west doors of St Paul’s Cathedral for public viewing until 10 March.
Amanda Hughes, designer of the sculpture and Children’s Church Co-ordinator of St Mary’s, Finchley, said:
"I’m thrilled to see the model in St Paul’s Cathedral and feel very happy to do my small part in showing how we can help reduce poverty in the world with our shopping habits".
Canon Precentor of St Paul’s Cathedral, Michael Hampel, said:
"St Paul’s are very happy to provide a temporary home for this wonderful sculpture during Fairtrade Fortnight".
