Nick Shaw

Nick Shaw was born in Bridlington , East Yorkshire ( Hockney county ).As a young schoolboy he started as a beach photographer during summer holidays. After serving an apprenticeship with Kodak , he became a cruise ship photographer. He was offered work on board Russian cruise ships in 1976 , based in Odessa USSR. From this unique position he experienced life behind the iron curtain at the height of the cold war. By the 1980's he joined East Anglian Filmakers Co Op , and was awarded an Arts Council Grant to make " Nowhere To Run " , a documentary on the late singer/songwriter Ted Hawkins. In the 1990's he worked for various NGO's ( i.e. Greenpeace , Christian Aid and Banana Link ). His work on the exploitation of banana workers in Central America soon started the Fairtrade concept. He was offered his second arts council award , which became Bananas Unpeeled. Fairtrade banana sales in the UK are now a billion pounds a year.