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The St Helier Youth & Community Trust have welcomed the generous gesture by Rachel Concannon of ‘Rachel’s Textiles’, who is to donate a percentage of her profits from the sale of her bespoke ‘Bags for Life’ to the Trust.
Rachel designs and produces the unique range of bags at her Colomberie Shop and feels that it is fitting to support the campaign of abolishing single use plastic bags, at the same time as contributing to the work of the Trust who support charitable initiatives.
Keen to engage young people in the drive to eliminate plastic and waste, she has launched a Competition for 11-14 year olds to create a sturdy, practical, well made shopping bag. The prize for the Competition, which runs from the 1st July to the 1st September 2021, is a Janome 230DC Sewing Machine, Janome celebrates it’s Centenary this year.
“Having left a long term post at JCG teaching food and textiles to set up my own studio, I thought it was fitting to reach out to the creativity of young people and encourage them to promote the message of sustainability whilst honing their artistic talents”, says Rachel. “I am delighted to be linking up with the St Helier Youth & Community Trust by reinvesting some of the profits into the Parish scheme which specifically helps young people and the vulnerable of the Parish of St Helier”.
In June 2021, The States unanimously supported the ban on the supplying and distribution of specific single use plastic and paper bags. Whilst it is thought that many retailers will be able to adhere to this ban by January 2022, others may find that more of a challenge so a 12 month lead in has been granted to allow all businesses to follow suit.
Speaking on behalf of the St Helier Youth & Community Trust, Chairman Andrew Lewis commented, “It would be wonderful if other businesses would follow Rachel’s lead and consider donating a percentage of the sale proceeds from their own branded bags for life. In so doing, they would be reassured that this contribution would directly support the work of the Trust for the ultimate benefit of residents and the many Islanders who visit the town for business or recreational purposes”.
