Trip to paradise isle is a fair deal for Maureen's dedication to community

Her trip of a lifetime was fitting reward for Maureen's dedication to Littlehampton's Arun Dolphins Swimming Club for the disabled, but also gave her a fascinating insight into the Fairtrade bananas sold at Sainsbury's, Rustington, where she works.

Maureen, a trainer at the store, was among a 17-strong party of Sainsbury's employees who flew to the Caribbean to visit banana plantations supplying the supermarket chain, and to see the benefits Fairtrade is bringing to the island's schoolchildren and a health centre.

The trip was organised as part of Sainsbury's Local Heroes initiative, recognising the contributions employees make to their communities. Maureen, the Dolphins' training officer and a swimming teacher, has been involved with the club for 23 years and received 500 for it through the scheme.

Banana benefits

She was one of 4,000 applying for funding for her good cause, and for the chance to go to St Lucia. After making a shortlist of 150, Maureen attended a presentation in London at which she was named as one of the 15 jetting off to the West Indies, together with two of the company's community affairs staff.

The fact-finding visit included a briefing on the Fairtrade banana industry in St Lucia and the other Windward Islands. On St Lucia, 120 farmers, the vast majority, are involved with the Fairtrade set-up, receiving a fair price of $9 for a 44 kilo box, even when market prices fall. Of the $9 a box, $1 goes to a social fund, with a group of farmers deciding which projects should benefit.

Sainsbury's buys 45 per cent of St Lucia's bananas, and Maureen and her colleagues on the trip saw a number of projects receiving funding from the Fairtrade premium. At one school water butts had been installed to give the children fresh water all day, and two other schools had new computer rooms. A medical centre they went to had an autoclave provided by the social fund.

After returning from her adventure, Maureen, back at work in the supermarket, said this week: "It put everything into perspective. It has made me realise how lucky we are and how people live in third world countries."

She has been with Sainsbury's for eight years, after previously working in banking, lives in Campbell Drive, Rustington, and is married with two children and two grandchildren.

BANANA FACTFILE

AS well as warming to the people of the Windward Islands, Maureen learned that bananas grow not on trees but on rhizomes, underground stems which send up shoots for new plants.

The Sainsbury's group was also told how most weeding on the plantations is by hand, with just one herbicide application each year.

Bananas are covered with a blue plastic sleeve while they grow, to keep out insects and birds.

Harvesting of bananas takes place twice a week, starting at 5am and finishing at about 1 or 2pm. The work is very labour-intensive, and everything is done by hand, with great care taken not to damage the fruit.

After washing, bananas are bagged for Sainsbury's, packed into boxes and sent for shipping. Three weeks after harvesting they are on sale here.

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