PUPILS from St Mary’s in Beaminster performed a series of back flips, arabesques, rolls, tucks and leaps to impress the people who help sponsor them.

Last Thursday pupils from the primary school academy welcomed the local Fairtrade tea producer Clipper Teas to thank the company for sponsoring the school’s gymnastics team.

During the event the children showed the managing team a short demonstration of their capabilities. Surrounded by parents, teachers and students the youngsters were handed a cheque by representatives of Clipper Teas, Tony Buckton, Nicky Homer..

Clipper Teas’ factory manager, Tony Buckton said: “Clipper Teas is all about Fairtrade natural, organic, good for the planet, good for people’s health products. We help people who produce the tea by investing back into their communities.”

As they needed gymnastics kits, the school contacted Clipper Teas to see if it could help.

The new uniforms have helped the gymnastic team to be more self-confident, said head teacher Teri Goodinson - reflected in their performance in a gymnastics competition held at Beaminster Secondary School sports hall with individuals doing well and the Year 3/4 team winning the team title and the school winning the school title on the its teams combined scores.

Mrs Goodinson said: “I think it helped the kids wearing the uniforms they were really proud of themselves and they worked as a team.”

The next day 19 Year 5 pupils from St Mary’s Academy visited Clipper Teas.

The visit provided the young students with an opportunity to learn all about Clipper’s Fairtrade work, and to find out how Clipper’s teas are sourced from tea estates in Africa, India and Sri Lanka. They were given a special behind the scenes tour around the site to gain an understanding of the production that lies behind a cup of Clipper tea.

Founded in Beaminster in 1984, Clipper was the UK’s first Fairtrade tea company. From its Beaminster factory, the brand manufactures an extensive variety of organic and Fairtrade teas and coffees. Clipper Tea is now sold in 50 countries around the world.

The visit is part of an ongoing partnership between Clipper and St Mary’s Academy. Staff from the Clipper factory visited the school last month to take part in the school’s ‘Science in the World Around Us’ theme week.

Joanna Bolter, HR manager at Wessanen UK which owns Clipper said: “We were delighted to welcome the students of St Mary’s Academy to the Clipper site. We’re very proud of our Dorset heritage and are passionate about supporting our local community. The visit was a great opportunity for us to educate these young people about how a Fairtrade approach can change the world cup by cup. We look forward to developing our partnership with the school and welcoming the students back to the site soon.”

By Spanish students Javier Sánchez, Eunate Etxebarria, Amaia Ibáñez, Pedro Gallarreta, Aitor Arenas, Miguel Sánchez, Leyre Aldunate.