Daily Record

Supergrass found dead in Jamaica

- A.brown@dailyrecor­d.co.uk

RIGHT GROOVE ANTIQUE OAK LAMINATE Was £11.99m2 Now AN IRA supergrass who plotted to kill Charles and Diana has been found dead in Jamaica.

Murderer turned police informer Sean O’Callaghan died after getting into difficulty in a swimming pool.

O’Callaghan, 62, wrote best-seller The Informer about his days as a senior officer in the IRA’s deadly southern command.

He also claimed he’d aborted a plan to kill the royals in 1983. SOFT TOUCH CARPET Was £39.99m2 Now 4ft 6 NESTLEDOWN EVESHAM DIVAN BED Was £799.00 Now

Ba nkTh is Ho lid ay

THE philosphy of the Homeless World Cup is that “a ball can change lives” – and now a Scots firm are ensuring it does.

Co-operative Bala Sports will provide 325 fairtrade footballs to this year’s tournament in Oslo, helping factory workers thousands of miles away in Pakistan.

A workforce of more than 40,000 people in the northern Pakistani city of Sialkot turn out an estimated 40million hand-stitched footballs every year – 70 per cent of the world’s production.

The average annual wage for those who stitch the balls is only £700, with some working in terrible conditions – the uglier side of the beautiful game.

But those who make Fairtradec­ertified balls for Glasgow-based Bala Sports are guaranteed a fairer wage, safer conditions and funding towards community projects.

The firm’s co-founder Angus Coull is a former TV producer who became a supporter of fairtrade when he made a documentar­y about it.

He said: “It brought it home to me that, although no system which attempts to eradicate poverty is ever Scots firm supplying Homeless World Cup are improving the pay and conditions of workers in Pakistan making their products going to be perfect, fairtrade is as good as you can get.”

Athough fairtrade foods such as coffee, chocolate and bananas are now popular, fewer than one per cent of sports balls are certified.

Angus said: “Unfortunat­ely, fairtrade sports balls are Britain’s best kept secret. We want to change that.”

Bala Sports donated balls to last year’s Homeless World Cup in Glasgow and Angus hopes that the partnershi­p will highlight the need to play fairer with factory workers in developing countries.

He said: “Bala Sport and the Homeless World Cup are both determined to help people change their lives.

“I’ve seen the pride and self-esteem the tournament has helped build in the

 ??  ?? OFF ION ATTENT DETAIL TO in Workers afactory Pakistan in making2014 balls WorldCup TACKLING POVERTY Fairtrade balls made in the Sialkot football factory in Pakistan
OFF ION ATTENT DETAIL TO in Workers afactory Pakistan in making2014 balls WorldCup TACKLING POVERTY Fairtrade balls made in the Sialkot football factory in Pakistan

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