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Posted on: September 15th 2022
Oxfam Visit
Supply Centre
A group of Year 5 and 6 representatives travelled up to Oxford yesterday to visit the OXFAM supply centre and superstore.
At the supply centre pupils were given a guided tour of the facilities, learning about the equipment that OXFAM ships out to different countries around the world. They learnt about a range of charities and what they specialise in, with OXFAM specialising in water, sanitation and hygiene.
Within the supply centre were a range of different sized water tanks and pupils were lucky enough to stand inside one and then calculate how long one tank might last, with an average person using 20 litres a day. This is vastly lower than the typical usage in England!
Pupils were given a quiz on their guided tour, having to guess what different equipment was used for and the cost. We saw the famous OXFAM bucket and the reason behind the particular design, as well as flat pack water tanks, hand washing stations and latrine slabs.
Superstore
After the supply centre we travelled a little more into Oxford to visit the largest OXFAM superstore. The pupils learnt about how they get donations and which donations OXFAM refuses to take, e.g. fur, ivory and candles without an ingredients list.
We had a tour of the facilities and looked behind the scene at how volunteers sort, steam and price a range of products for the shop floor. We discussed with the superstore manager how she uses pictures, market stall displays and colours/sizes to group items on the shop floor, enticing customers to buy their items. In addition to this we learnt about OXFAM'S, ‘SOURCED’ items which are naturally sourced and contain fairtrade products. These include soaps, chocolates and other products.
To finish off the fantastic day pupils were given a rail of clothes to price. They had to look at the material it was made from as well as if what was from a particular brand to decide whether it was a low, medium or high-ticket item. Once priced the items were then put on the shop floor to sell.
It was fascinating learning about the humanitarian aid OXFAM provides in the supply centre and the additional money they make through the shops. We are hoping we can use all this information to set up our own OXFAM pop up shop. This enterprise initiative is part of our Ambition Project in Term 1 and 2. Hopefully it is as successful as our long running Tuck Shop!
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