Information on Loughborough

KEEPING TRADE FAIR IN CHARNWOOD

Posted on 27/02/2008
R. Reed

Cllr Richard Shepherd and Steve King of Charnwood Action For Fairtrade (CAFF) celebrating 2 years as a Fairtrade Borough by holding a Fairtrade cake and celebrating the launch of the new Charnwood Fairtrade Directory. Also present are from left to right Hiron Miah, Janki Manek, Karl Letten, Amar Bashir and Cllr Peter Lewis from Charnwood Borough Council.

The Fairtrade Directory, which was launched on Monday (February 25) to coincide with the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight in the Borough, helps shoppers easily locate where tasty Fairtrade products are on sale.

Produced by Charnwood Action For Fairtrade (CAFF) and Charnwood Borough Council, the directory is part of the work of maintaining Charnwood as a Fairtrade Borough.

The launch was attended by Cllr Richard Shepherd and Stephen King from CAFF and linked in with Charnwood celebrating two years as a Fairtrade Borough.

The people of Charnwood were awarded Fairtrade Borough status in March 2006 and became the first Fairtrade Borough in the East Midlands. The status was awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation, the organisation which promotes Fairtrade and Fairtrade products across the UK.

Currently, shoppers can buy over 2000 different Fairtrade products lines across the country including tea, coffee, sugar, honey, bananas, mangoes, cocoa, fruit juice, chocolate, cake and wines which are available from a wide-range of stores throughout the Borough

“Fairtrade has improved the lives of millions of people - farmers, workers and their families - in developing countries,” said Jenny Drury, the Chair of CAFF.

“But, we need to keep promoting Fairtrade to ensure people know that buying Fairtrade products can make a positive difference. The new Fairtrade Directory for Charnwood is a great way of doing this. It ensures that shoppers know where they can buy Fairtrade products.”

Karl Letten, Charnwood Borough Council’s Sustainable Development Officer, said: “We all want to be able to improve the world in which we live be that here locally or further a field.

“Fairtrade is an excellent way for individuals to make the choice to support producers from all across the world and to guarantee that they get a better deal.”

CAFF played a key role in the Borough being awarded Fairtrade status and the group is staging a Fairtrade Market on Saturday, 8th March.

The event is taking place at Hall Orchard Primary School in Barrow upon Soar between 10am and 12pm, and will be selling a wide variety of Fairtrade goods including the UK’s first Fairtrade cola, Ubuntu.

It is being staged as part of Fairtrade Fortnight – which is encouraging people to Change Today, Choose Fairtrade in a bid to boost the lives of millions and farmers in developing countries.

Copies of the Charnwood Fairtrade Directory can be downloaded by logging on to www.charnwood.gov.uk/environment/fairtrade.html