October 14th, 2015

Journey to NYC
Pulse of the Place, World Fair Trade Tartan Clan,
NYC Tartan Week Parade Grand Marshal 2023, Gail Porter

This year has been so special for Hand Up Events, that we exist to platform and promote fair trade through events, through World Fair Trade Tartan and where we can, at our markets run by our sister company LocalMotive Markets.

In April, we finally made the trip to New York City Tartan Day Parade, after what had been a long (and not so patient) wait! So fast forward to October 2022, Hand Up Events were in touch with Pulse of the Place and YES, they were all up for it and thankfully had been reimbursed for the 2020 trip Pulse drummers were able to join forces and make this trip a reality! Next, we checked with Gail Porter to see if dates worked and received another YES as she confirmed she would love to join the World Fair Trade Tartan Clan and the talented drummers in NYC this year.

Tv presenter and journalist, and truly one of Scotland’s greatest treasures, Gail Porter, has been an amazing ambassador for fair trade and the Tartan, and above all, she has been a massive supporter of the young drummers and their continuous efforts to raise funds and awareness prior to the New York trip taking place.

Pulse of the Place are a most wonderful local Edinburgh charity that provides free samba drumming tuition to children and young people, aged 8 to 18. Pulse were also at the launch of World Fair Trade Tartan in 2017 and have been drumming up awareness of Fair Trade with Hand Up Events over the years since, at several concerts and other events such as fashionABLE in the Scottish Parliament and concerts at The Usher Hall.

Then… in advance NYC Tartan Parade, earlier this year, we had a call to ask if we would mind that Gail Porter would be this year’s Grand Marshal at NYC Tartan Parade, perhaps as we had Gail Porter joining with the young drummers and the rest of our Clan, including the one and only Scotland’s finest female bagpiper, Louise Marshall. Of course this was the icing on the cake for World Fair Trade Tartan Clan to be leading the entire parade, with Gail Porter as Grand Marshall and with the young drummers and the Clan, also led by Louise Marshall, bagpiper extraordinaire.

With all things coming into place, this year was the very right time to regroup with Pulse of the Place and with World Fair Trade Tartan Clan, and that the Parade was led by Gail Porter – who also launched the tartan with us in 2017 at Fair Trade Fiesta, in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens, with Rudi Dalvai, President WFTO at the time – made it that extra bit more special!

Hand Up Events organised a fundraising event on Forth Road Bridge a few weeks prior to NYC, with Gail Porter and the young drummers, we had such a wonderful day and did a great promotion of the fair trade message. The young drummers were totally brilliant and with Gail, it was just the most fun day.

Next stop NYC and what a trip this turned out to be. About 32 degrees was not what anyone expected and so everyone sweltering but the vibe was electric! As the day came for the NYC Tartan Parade, we were there to welcome the young drummers, Louise and Gail, as we filed into place with the World Fair Trade tartan banner at the front, with Gail leading and the young drummers and Clan just right there, behind her. Behind World Fair Trade Tartan Clan was Kyle Dawson, President of the NYC Tartan Parade and with NYC Mayor, Eric Adams and several other dignitaries the representatives of the Scottish Parliament, we truly felt the support!

The weather was amazing, the vibe electric and before we knew it, everyone in place along 5th Avenue, flags waving, all the doggies dressed in tartan, all the hundreds of clans, groups, individuals wearing tartans, so many colours, it looked absolutely splendid. The young drummers lined up and ready to set off, the first drumbeat, set off the clan and everyone grinning ear to ear, we could see Kyle behind, he was just beyond supportive, the kindest most wonderful person, we are always grateful this very special opportunity to raise the flag for fair trade in such a most wonderful way.

This year was all the more special as Scotland celebrates its 10th year anniversary as a Fair Trade Nation, while the NYC Tartan Week Parade celebrated its 25th year anniversary. We truly felt it was all so beautifully aligned.

The drummers with their so well-rehearsed syncopated rhythms, bellowing against the tall towers of NYC, were beyond brilliant! Sarah Kelly and Arwen Seilman led the drummers, skilled to support such a huge group of samba drummers and doing it with passion and talent. Rohan Seilman who is the director of Pulse of the Place, was also with them every step of the way, beating his drum in perfect synchronicity. Rohan is a super hero and we are so grateful to him and his daughter Sarah for accepting our invitation to join us in NYC with World Fair Trade Tartan.

SO NOW…we will have a FILM PREMIERE of this magical trip on the 24th October. We will be sharing a link to the FILM next month! And we are so excited!

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved and to everyone that supported this most wonderful event, in whichever way. As always, we are wishing the Pulse of the Place the very best of luck with their future adventures and we hope Pulse and Hand Up Events can continue working on many-many wonderful projects for many-many years ahead. Also, roll on World Fair Trade Tartan! With its aim of being woven by World Fair Trade Organisations around the world, woven through the ten principles of Fair Trade, we cannot wait for where our Tartan journey will take us next!

This year we are
celebrating the World Fair Trade Day, 2023
at the USHER HALL

Presented by a TV Presenter and Fair Trade Ambassador Gail Porter, this concert celebrates World Fair Trade Day and Scotland’s 10th anniversary as a Fair Trade Nation. Headlining this high energy concert are the RED HOT CHILLI PIPERS https://rhcp.scot bagpipes with attitude, drums with a Scottish accent and a show so hot it carries its own health warning! As well, self-styled as “Acid Croft”, SHOOGLENIFTY https://www.shooglenifty.com have the musical wanderlust as well as the rocking electric bottom end to summon their audience to a world ceilidh!

ALSO performing are two talented youth bands: PULSE OF THE PLACE and ROYAL HIGH PIPE BAND!

*Fair Trade products will be on sale in the main foyer, as well the tickets for a tombola and raffle. Proceeds from tombola and raffle going to local music charity Pulse of the Place supporting their NYC Tartan Week Parade fundraising efforts.

Fair Trade Stalls in the foyer (open until 10pm):
One World Shop Fair Trade products from around the globe
Hadeel Fair Trade from Palestine
Just Gifts Fair Trade gifts
Pacari Fair Trade Chocolates
Yho Yho Fair Trade backpacks from South Africa
ACTSA Gifts, Fair Trade from South Africa
GoGo Olive Knitwear from Zimbabwe
Kibebe - Eco friendly products made in Malawi
Scottish Fair Trade Forum and Edinburgh Fair Trade City
Gavins Mill Fair Trade gifts, food and drinks
Doba Art Studio Environmental gifts
Baila Venezuela Promoting Venezuelan culture

Purchase your tickets here: https://www.usherhall.co.uk/index.php/whats-on/world-fair-trade-day-gathering-2023!

CASTLE STREET MARKET is one of the most well established markets in Edinburgh, running since 2007. The market has to be in one of the world's most beautiful locations on Castle Street, in the heart of Edinburgh, looking up to the the majestic Edinburgh Castle, facing onto Princes Street. To the rear of the marke, with the hustle and bustle of Rose Street and George Street, this location is beloved by locals, tourists and visitors.

If you are an independent food producer or a maker, designer, jeweller, fashion creator, artist, photographer or you focus on helping others through fair & ethical trade, please be in touch if you would like the opportunity to join us at one of our forthcoming markets.

Most of the markets we organise are for seven days, however our dates are extended during the wonderful Edinburgh Festival and Christmas period. We are always open to new applicants to join us! For more information or an application, please email tania@localmotivemarkets.co.uk

Castle Street Market events in 2023:
April 3 - 9
May 1 - 7
June 5 - 11
July 3 - 9
August 4 - 20 (THREE WEEKENDS!)
September 4 - 10
October 2 - 8

Dates for Castle Street Market events in 2022:
April 4 - 10
May 2 - 8
June 6 - 12
July 4 - 10
EXTENDED Fringe Festival: August 5 - 21 (THREE WEEKENDS!)
September 5 - 11
October 3 - 9

❆ Christmas November 26 - December 23 ❆
Saturday 26 November to Friday 2 December
Saturday 3 December to Friday 9 December
Saturday 10 December to Friday 16 December
Saturday 17 December to Friday 23 December

World Fair Trade Gathering @Usher Hall
Saturday May 14

World Fair Trade Day is celebrated every year on the second Saturday of May. As bringing much celebration around the world, and with 350 fair trade producer groups across 70 countries, we are beyond excited that after two years of the waiting time, we are finally going ahead with this wonderful, fun and inspiring event! This years's campaign #LetsDoIt https://wfto.com/LetsDoItFair/ is focusing on Climate Justice, spreading the message about the need for more just and fair world where everyone shares the responsibility of taking care of our planet.

World Fair Trade Gathering is featuring not just one but three fantastic Scottish bands: SKERRYVORE, PEATBOG FAERIES and BOMBSKARE who will make sure 14th of May concert will be a night to remember! This 4-hour concert is a Scottish World Fair Trade Day tribute event and we are more than excited to be connecting all around the world with celebrations everywhere from Chile, to Zambia, Guyana to Ghana.. and everywhere in between, to promote Scotland, a Fair Trade Nation, rocking it on the World Fair Trade Day!

We aim for everyone to enjoy a foot stomping night of fun, fiery music and dance whilst promoting fair trade!

Fair trade stalls in the foyer will include:

Scottish Fair Trade Forum INFORMATION (official membership body for Fair Trade in Scotland supporting the event)
ACTSA (successor organisation to the Anti-Apartheid Movement)
One World Shop (fair trade gifts from around the globe)
Just Gifts (fair trade gifts from African countries)
Fair Trade Scotland (fair trade gifts snd WFTO Mzuzu coffee from Malawi)
Rainbow Turtle (fair trade shop)
Gavin's Mill (fair trade Shop and cafe)
Hadeel (fair trade Palestinian gifts)

DOBA Studio (alternative plastic recycling)
Friends of the Earth (network of environmental organisations)
Scottish International Development Alliance Climate Justice Photo display

Up and Running and raring to go!!
2021

Delighted to bring dates for our markets and events taking place in Edinburgh, we are just so excited to see our event and markets friends and look forward to getting back to our concerts and other events in the near future. We are also going to continue with World Fair Trade Tartan, to develop the tartan, woven by World Fair Trade Organisations through the 10 principles of Fair Trade. Please see http://www.wfto.com for more information about Fair Trade.

Our next event will be on Monday 4 to Sunday 10 October on Castle Street, in the heart of Edinburgh and thereafter for Christmas from 26 November to 23 December organised by our sister company LocalMotive Markets..

Castle Street and Ocean Terminal Christmas Markets 2021

CASTLE STREET CHRISTMAS MARKET
Daily outdoor market event facing onto Princes Street
26 November to 23 December

Organised by our Sister Company LocalMotive Markets.

Home for our Christmas events since 2007, LocalMotive Markets is delighted to run this year’s Castle Street Christmas Market, filled with an abundance of quality gifts and delicious food choices, for 28 days! This beautiful market will be taking place in brightly coloured 3 meter robust gazebos, and with an overnight security provided, but may take place in a marquee, we will have a decision on 11th October by Edinburgh City Council.

We always have a limited number of stalls and we would like to invite local as well as wider Scottish businesses to join us! Preference, as always, will be given to those who make their own products and/or source them ethically and responsibly.

Please note, bookings are by the week, upon a successful application form, depending on the availability. Traders can choose to select one, two or three weeks, your space confirmed on 11th October

Looking up to Edinburgh Castle and facing onto Princes Street, and with Rose Street and George Street at your back, this is a stunning, central, and very visible market location. So this is a high footfall and very exciting location loved by locals, visitors & tourists! We hope you can join us!

For an application or more information, please email our sister company tania@localmotivemarkets.co.uk.

OCEAN TERMINAL CHRISTMAS MARKET 2021
Ground floor
Weekends through November and then

2 to 5 December
9 to 12 December
16 to 19 December
20 to 23 December

Organised by Sister Company LocalMotive Markets.

OCEAN TERMINAL CHRISTMAS MARKET will be taking place inside a warm and festive Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre, located on the ground floor, facing onto Costa Coffee & the main concourse and escalators. Shoppers to the centre will not miss this beautifully decorated Christmas Market, brimming with local and Scottish gifts, food, and drinks – from delicious range of bread, cakes, fudge, honey, jams and chutneys, to live art, calligraphy, quality hand made jewellery, woodworks, glass, homeware, soaps and candles, and much-much more!

Stalls can be booked for dates of your choice, depending on the availability. *Please note, preference will be given to traders who make and design their own products and/or source them ethically.

Handmade wooden stalls will be provided for the trading, so this market will look rustic and absolutely fabulous!

Ocean Terminal is much more than a shopping centre, with one of the most visited attractions, Royal Yacht Britannia, fantastic cinema complex, restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops, skatepark, gym, this beloved Leith location has something for everyone!

If you would like more information and a booking application, please email tania@localmotivemarkets.co.uk

Castle Street Markets are back!
We are delighted to see everyone soon for our first markets of the year on Castle Street and in just a few short weeks will bring you a most fantastic range of arts, crafts, food and drinks... with our sister company LocalMotive Markets supporting talented makers and designers as well food and drinks traders.

13 - 19 July was the first of this years markets on Castle Street, with exhibitors selling a range of handcrafted, ethically sourced and artisan food and drinks (LocalMotive Markets)

10 - 16 August Fair & Ethical Trade on the Fringe has been running since 2008, supporting and platforming fair trade, ethical as well locally sourced gifts (Hand Up Events)

7 - 11 September Castle Street Autumn Fair with an abundance of artisan food and drinks as well arts and crafts(LocalMotive Markets)

5 - 11 October Castle Street Autumn Market with an abundance of artisan food and drinks as well arts and crafts (Hand Up Events)

* NOTE, we welcome applications for food and drinks but no hot food allowed on Castle Street.

We also want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our traders, partner organisations, market & event goers, supporters - we highly value you all and we cannot wait to see you! Please take care of yourself, as well as others!

World Fair Trade Day 2020 #PlanetFairTrade

POSTPONED (more information coming soon)
The 2020 World Fair Trade Day Gathering band line up has been announced, with a six hour concert and celebration at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh this 9th May - connecting 400 World Fair Trade Organisations (WFTO) around the globe through multi-media, to raise awareness of this year’s campaign #PLANETFAIRTRADE.

Headlining this year’s high energy concert are Skerryvore, Peatbog Faeries, Cantara, Bombskare, Clan Macondo & Colores Del Maiz, Pulse of the Place and The Pennycuick’s, an amazing line up of traditional music from Scotland, as well as musical and dance influences from South and Central America and with video messages, speakers, stalls, kids’ activities throughout the day.

Once again, the event will be hosted by TV presenter, authorand Fair Trade ambassador Gail Porter, who has been an ardent supporter of Fair Trade for many years.

The campaign Planet Fair Trade has been organised by the World Fair Trade Organisation with the aim of celebratingFair Trade and encourage the public to, where-ever possible, choose Fair Trade goods, becoming fair and ethical consumers.

Planet Fair Trade concept is one that is populated by Fair Trade Enterprises, whose priority mission is people and planet, creating an economy based on human and planetary well-being, a world where no one is left behind and Fair Trade Enterprises are pioneers of this new economy.
Promoting the Fair Trade message Planet Fair Trade, Event organiser & director, Tania Pramschufer, Hand Up Eventssaid: “Our campaign is very clear, we are aiming to spread the vision of a planet populated by Fair Trade Enterprises and other enterprises whose priority mission is creating an economy based on people and the planet, a world where no one is left behind.

“Our concert and celebration will create enthusiasm for this big idea of Fair Trade Enterprises through their social and environmental missions and innovations and to help create a roadmap for a new economy. Now let’s create Planet Fair Trade!”

For more information and how to be involved https://wfto.com/events/world-fair-trade-day-2020

BAND LINE-UP
Skerryvore skerryvore.com/band/ represent the best in contemporary Scottish traditional music, with a growing fanbase worldwide and with the promise of much more to come. Twice winners of Scotland’s Traditional Music Live Act of the Year Award in 2011 & 2016.

Take two brothers, Daniel (Accordion) and Martin Gillespie (pipes, whistles and accordion), steeped in the Scottish west coast ceilidh tradition on the Isle of Tiree, and add in friends Fraser West (drums) and Alec Dalglish (guitar and vocals), with a background in brass bands, wind bands, jazz bands, and with blues, folk and country influences, and you have the 2005, embryonic Skerryvore.
Fast forward 10 years, add Craig Espie (fiddle) and Jodie Bremaneson (bass), bring in your album producer Alan Scobie on Keyboards and mix in the Glasgow music scene – from University Applied Music courses and Traditional Music courses at the Royal Conservatoire to sell out gigs at O2 ABC – and you have a band that has already won Scottish Traditional music’s ‘Live Act of the Year’ in 2011 – they were to win it again in 2016 – and who, rightly, celebrated their decade by launching their own 6000 capacity festival.

By the time the 2019 version of that festival – now christened ‘Oban Live’ – had successfully been and gone, that evolutionary development had added BBC young traditional musician of the year finalist Scott Wood (pipes and whistles), produced ‘EVO,’ their latest album, and the curtain had fallen on their EVO world tour which took their high energy, musically expansive set not just throughout UK and Europe, but also to USA, Canada and Australia.

Peatbog Faeries https://peatbogfaeries.com/bio/ Hailing from the Isle of Skye, this year celebrating 25 years, from the moment they take to the stage, the mood is set for a no-nonsense feel-good atmosphere – each number sounding like an encore in itself. They tease unlikely combinations from the familiarity of instruments such as fiddle and highland pipes – blending with techno rhythms and soaring sounds and take this to another plain. The traditional styles that influence the musicians are still to be heard – and when an unexpected drop-down to those glorious core melodies sneaks in – the result is spine-chilling! In short, it rocks – and the audience becomes part of the experience.

Bombskare http://www.bombskare.co.uk Introducing the bishops of bounce, the sorcerers of skank, the undisputed masters of Scottish death reggae, the one and only Bombskare- the closest thing you'll see to an actual northern powerhouse.This nine headed ska demon has been tearing up stages the length and breadth of the British Isles since before The Crusades. Reaching zero to sixty skanking miles from a standing start, they combine top quality dance-along songs with incredible punctuality - leaving every stage like Tokyo following a visit from Godzilla. Renowned for their technical prowess as much as their infectious ska anthems, they combine lush, three-part harmonies with choppy guitar attacks and an explosive horn section to truly blow the audience away. One thing these guys know about getting a crowd to dance is everything..

Cantara www.cantara.co.uk Reformed in 2016 with new line-up by original founding member Martin Struthers it has retained its original concept of a fusion of Celtic, rock and world music styles and melody. The current line-up is Spanish and electric Guitars, piano accordion/keyboards & Whistle, Electric Bass, Drums/Percussion, highland pipes. This high energy band is led by Scotland’s leading piper Louise Marshall, joining this concert for the second time with huge crowd participation.

Clan Macondo headed by Maritza Rodriguez - who moved to Glasgow from her native Colombia in 1989, Clan Macondo is a community art organisation that aims to develop activities that promote dance, music and the sharing of Latin American culture and languages in UK. Clan Macondo aims to influence and improve the well-being of communities by encouraging creativity, cultural awareness, fitness and social interaction. This part of the concert will be a dance performance representing the World Fair Trade Logo with audience participation.

Colores del Maiz is a dance production by Clan Macondo. Inspired by Central American myths and legends, songs, native wisdom, magic and spirits. The Mayan Peoples' belief that their flesh was made of corn. This is an explosion of colours and movements, a Carnival Celebrating the origins of cultivated plants as a synonym of wealth and civilised life promoting the values of an agricultural society, as well as painting, sculpting, and architecture, pottery, and other arts. This is an experimental group and its members are families from Latino American countries of: Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Brasil, Dominican Rep, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico among others based in Glasgow. Colores del Maiz is representative of all our Nations from the highlands and Coasts united by music and dance.

Pulse of the Place www.artsafternoon.org.uk
Pulse of the Place are a vibrant youth samba band, based in North Edinburgh! They have played at the Paralympics at the Olympic Park, London in 2012, festivals across the UK and soon heading to NYC Tartan Week Parade with World Fair Trade Tartan clan, supporting Scotland as a Fair Trade Nation, with diversity and inclusivity

The Pennycuick’s musical talents were developed round their" Kitchen table sessions" early in Connie's and Orianne'slives with dad Andrew Pennycuick from Edinburgh Ska Band Bombskare where they often sat working out harmonies and songs to sing and then record and put on YouTube, with resounding response encouraging them to develop their musical abilities further. They went on to perform at various festivals and most recently a burns supper where they left the audience emotional to say the least proving you cannot get closer harmonies than DNA.

fashionABLE Workshops and Model Portfolio

FashionABLE project has been created by Hand Up Events sister company LocalMotive Markets www.localmotivemarkets.co.uk/fashionable-show to platform diversity, equality, inclusion, and integrity - where people from all walks of life are encouraged to participate and celebrate the different abilities and/or disabilities, shapes and sizes, cultures and ages.

It has been running since 2016 incorporating catwalk sessions, workshops, as well as fashion shows, you can see at ethical.tv https://ethical.tv/2019/01/05/fashionable-2018-celebrating-year-of-youth-at-the-scottish-parliament/ (Year of Youth fashionABLE at the Scottish Parliament, 2018).

This year we focus on confidence building and modelling workshops, including mini portfolio building with industry experts Models of Diversity’s CEO Angel Sinclair and professional photographer James Alexander Lyon https://modelsofdiversity.org/.

This is an exciting free of charge opportunity to learn new skills and boost your confidence by participating in the modelling workshops, and the photoshoot at the Ocean Terminal!

Registration to apply to participate is open for limited days only! Please apply by Sunday the 20th of October. Selected participants will be contacted on Monday the 21st. We are looking to select a most diverse group of people for both workshops, representing all parts of society! 10-15 people for ether workshop day. Please note that you need to be available for one of the two workshops (Friday or Saturday) as well as for make-up/hair sessions followed by a photoshoot on Sunday.

Under 16s need to be accompanied by an adult. By applying/participating you agree to have your photography taken and used for promotion purposes.

For more information and the registration form, please contact Olya olya.handupevents@gmail.com