ILKLEY SERVES UP MOOR FAIRTRADE

Collaboration was the order of the day on Saturday 5th March when Ilkley Fairtrade Group, Ilkley Soroptimists and local Girlguiding Rombalds District leaders organised an outdoor four hour ‘Big Fairtrade Breakfast’ event at Ilkley bandstand. Free Fairtrade hot chocolate, orange and apple juice were on offer, as well as freshly cooked pancakes with a range of Fairtrade toppings.

Ben Rhydding Community Choir

The drinks, bananas and pancake ingredients were kindly donated by the Co-op, M&S, Booths, Tesco and Greggs. There was a rolling programme of bandstand entertainment featuring The White Rose Chorus, Ben Rhydding Primary School choir, Ben Rhydding Community Choir, Leeds Briggate Morris dancers and a local saxophonist. Traidcraft items were on sale and the Ilkley Co-op manager raffled a hamper of Co-op Fairtrade goods. £400 was raised from breakfast donations and the hamper raffle, and was sent to a Fairtrade project in Kenya helping women earn an independent income from coffee farming. The funds went to this specific project to mark International Women’s Day and highlight the work that Fairtrade does to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Two local churches organised Fairtrade breakfasts during Fairtrade Fortnight, and Ilkley Fairtrade Group had one of the community stalls at the inaugural ‘Real Food Ilkley’ market on Sunday 6th March. The new market was a great success and provided the opportunity to explain how Fairtrade and local go hand in hand, helping support farmers both near and far.
Karen Palframan, Ilkley Fairtrade Group

BAILDON BIG FAIRTRADE BREAKFAST

More than 60 Fairtrade breakfasts were served in St John’s Church Hall, Baildon, on Saturday 19 March. Children from the uniformed groups had decorated paper plates with a Fairtrade breakfast and these were hung along Fairtrade bunting around the hall. Tables were set with Fairtrade products donated by the Co-op, marmalade made by members, and locally produced milk and butter.

Naturally some children brought along their parents to see their plates and a warm welcome was provided. All expressed their pleasure in the breakfast and seven people expressed an interest in joining the local Fairtrade group.

This event was also an opportunity for Baildon Friends of the Earth and Fairtrade Group to work together to communicate our shared concern for the world-wide issue of sustainability – protecting the environment and tackling climate change. A superb display on Fairtrade and the Sustainability Goals was on show as well as a Fairtrade stall.

Thanks to the generosity of the Co-op, Baildon Fairtrade Group has been able to send £160 to the Traidcraft Exchange fund. An enjoyable and successful event raised funds to support producer projects around the world.

BRADFORD CATHEDRAL CELEBRATES FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT
SUNDAY MARCH 6th

With sunlight streaming through the West Window, 54 people sat down to enjoy a Fairtrade Breakfast, as well as locally produced milk, butter, bread and honey.

Following the morning Eucharist service, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Joanne Dodds, cut a Fairtrade chocolate cake to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bradford Fairtrade Zone. The Lord Mayor endorsed the decision of the Council meeting on 19th January this year, when it was overwhelmingly agreed that Bradford Council should renew the commitment to Fairtrade.

BIG FAIRTRADE BREAKFAST
HELD BY BRADFORD FAIRTRADE ZONE and M&S
29th Feb. 2016

Business and community leaders met for a networking and information Fairtrade breakfast hosted by M&S in their Broadway store café. Presentations on Fairtrade and the Bradford Fairtrade Zone were given by Mike de Villiers and Karen Palframan, and the commitment of M&S to support, through Fairtrade, their producer communities was given by Chris Farren, M&S operations manager. Councillor Adrian Farley, the leader of a renewed commitment by Bradford M.D.C. to support Fairtrade and Bradford Fairtrade Zone, expressed his pleasure at the success of the venture in raising awareness at a venue in the city centre.

Watch the Fairtrade Fortnight video from M&S.

Baildon Fairtrade Town Stall in Northgate Co-op, Baildon, West Yorks, Friday March 4th.

A Fairtrade Breakfast display and samples of chocolate engaged shoppers to discuss the benefits of Fairtrade. As well as signing up to hold their own Fairtrade Breakfast, many shoppers came back to the stall to show us what Fairtrade products they had purchased for the first time. We registered 645 Fairtrade Breakfasts, the number including many shoppers who would be having a Fairtrade Breakfast each morning for the rest of the Fortnight.

Faith leaders were leading the way at Leeds’ Merrion Centre on Thursday 3rd March with the holding of a Fairtrade breakfast.

The Breakfast table looked very festive, with the banners and balloons and lots of shoppers paused to see what was going on.

There was a display of Fairtrade items for sale from the local Morrisons and also a display of Fairtrade items from the Beehive, the local Fairtrade shop.
Leaders from all faiths in Leeds were invited.  Amongst the attendees pictured are Bishop Paul Slater, Esther Hugenholtz, Krystal Holms, Gurmukh Singh, Usha Bhardwaj, Mr Birdi and Ashraf Hamad. It was lovely for everyone to mix and chat and at the same time have a grand breakfast.

Children have also been taking a lead in Leeds.

Schools from across West Yorkshire celebrated Fairtrade by designing and delivering their own workshops at a special event at Leeds Civic Hall on Friday March 4th.

The event, organised by Leeds Development Education Centre and Fairtrade Leeds is part of a wider national programme which aims to raise awareness of the millions of farmers and workers struggling to feed themselves and their families, while supplying our breakfast tables with food and drink, such as bananas, cocoa and coffee.

Fabian Hamilton MP presented schools with Global Learning Charter certificates, for work on valuing Global Learning within school. Greg Mulholland MP presented Bala footballs to students from local schools and then gave a short speech in which he encouraged local sports teams, such as Leeds Rhinos to use Fairtrade sports equipment. Greg congratulated Fairtrade as an organisation for branching out beyond food to other sustainable products, such as the Fairtrade footballs and Rugby balls.

Last week Greg highlighted the importance of Fairtrade Fortnight in the House of Commons by tabling an Early Day Motion (EDM 1137) welcoming Fairtrade Fortnight 2016.

Commenting, Greg Mulholland MP said:

“I really enjoyed attending this fantastic event, which was very well organised by Leeds Development Education Centre. It is important that young people especially are encouraged to learn about Fairtrade produce and where their food comes from. As the consumers of the future, they have the power to change Britain’s buying habits.

It is terrible that the people we all depend on to grow food are not able to feed themselves and their families. Fairtrade do excellent work supporting these people, but more must be done to support the hundreds of millions of people going hungry across the world.”

Also commenting on the event, Hannah Langdana of the Leeds Development Education centre said:

“It was a fantastic event with children from across the city creating and delivering wonderful, hands on workshops on Fairtrade . It is another important step in making Leeds a Child Friendly City, where awareness about children’s rights locally and globally is raised. ”

Founder and Chair of the European Parliament’s Fairtrade Working Group, Linda McAvan MEP, is supporting Fairtrade Fortnight (29 February – 13 March) across Yorkshire and the Humber. The campaign covers two weeks of activity demonstrating how buying Fairtrade products can improve the lives of people in the developing world.

Linda will launch the #YorkshireLovesFairtrade social media campaign which encourages Fairtrade supporters across the region to send in pictures of themselves at iconic Yorkshire locations with Fairtrade products via Linda’s Facebook and Twitter.

Linda said “The #YorkshireLovesFairtrade campaign is a fun and simple way for everyone to get involved and show their support for Fairtrade. Fairtrade means farmers in developing countries get a fairer price for their crops and can sustain their livelihood through trade rather than aid”.

Yorkshire is one of the most active Fairtrade regions in the country. Fairtrade Yorkshire has come a long way since it was launched in 2011. To date there are 39 Fairtrade towns, cities and villages across the region and an ever increasing number of businesses, schools and universities signing up to Fairtrade.

It is with great sadness that we record the passing of Peter O’Neill, 68, who was a dedicated campaigner for social justice.

He was a member of the Steering Group that campaigned for Fairtrade Huddersfield, and later took over as Chair of the Fairtrade Kirklees Forum. He attended Fairtrade Yorkshire and Fairtrade Halifax Meetings.

Peter talking about Fairtrade to Batley Poets.

His sincerity, integrity and willingness to stand up and be counted endeared him to so many, who held him in the highest regard.

Tributes to Peter

“Peter always demonstrated genuine commitment to the Fairtrade campaign, and a genuine connection to the needs of the farmers we all rely on. He was generous in spirit, and passionate about fairness. He will be very greatly missed.”

Councillor Julie Stewart-Turner

“Peter was such a Fairtrade stalwart; his passing is a great loss to our movement.”

Mark Dawson, Coordinator Fairtrade Yorkshire

“He was a Fairtrade Star, and very affectionately thought of by us all!”

Tina Walker, Fairtrade Batley and Spen.

At the Fairtrade Yorkshire Supporter Conference in York

Peter at the Fairtrade chocolate tasting event

Peter at Batley Church with the Bishop of Huddersfield

The Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales are holding another poster competition ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight 2016. Simply design an A4 poster promoting a Fairtrade Breakfast – and remember to include the Fairtrade Mark!

This competition is open to individuals, schools, colleges and groups of all ages within the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, which covers Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Ripon and Wakefield (see a map of the Diocese here). The closing date is March 21st.

Prizes will be awarded in three Age-groups: Pre-School & Primary School Age, Secondary School Age, and Adults (18+). To enter, scan the original artwork and email it to Tina Walker at tinalet@hotmail.com. The name of the artist, their age-group and their organisation should be written on the artwork, so that each piece is clearly identifiable.

Certificates & Fairtrade Mini-hampers will be awarded to the winners. Read more at the Diocese website.

Hot on the heels of the launch of Fairtrade Halifax, a campaign for Fairtrade Town status has been launched in Selby.  A launch event was held at the ‘All’s Fair’ Fair Trade shop in Selby’s historic Counting House on 19th November.  Students from Cawood School gave an impressive presentation detailing the work that the school has done to promote Fair Trade; the school’s Fairtrade Steering Group was the first organisation to call for Selby to become a Fairtrade Town.

The ‘All’s Fair’ shop was packed for the event and the campaign for Fairtrade Town status was officially launched by Yorkshire Euro MEP, Linda McAvan.  Joanna Pollard, owner of ‘All’s Fair’, and the Coordinator of Fairtrade Selby, gave a rousing speech to kickstart the campaign and everyone in attendance was invited to sign the petition calling on Selby Town Council to support the Fairtrade Town status.  The petition has been endorsed by the Bishop of Selby.

‘All’s Fair’ will give Selby shoppers the chance to purchase a wide range of Fairtrade and fairly traded goods, including beautiful craft products from around the globe.  Councillor Eva Lambert, of Selby Town Council, welcomed the campaign and also the opening of ‘All’s Fair’ in the historic Counting House.  The building is part of the medieval Abbot’s Staithe complex which local people hope will be restored to its former glory.

Joanna Pollard and Councillor Eva Lambert at All’s Fair

Linda McAvan MEP stated “Having a Fairtrade centre in the community helps promote the principles of Fairtrade and encourages a different attitude regarding ethically sourced products. Joanna has worked extremely hard to bridge two Fairtrade events- the opening of All’s Fair -Selby’s first Fairtrade shop and the launch of Selby’s bid for Faitrade Town status.”

Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, Mark Dawson also attended the launch and commented ‘Selby is a fantastic place and I wholeheartedly welcome their campaign to become a Fairtrade Town.  All’s Fair provides the people of Selby with a convenient and exciting way to buy products that offer producers a fair deal.’

Visit All’s Fair at the Counting House, 79 Micklegate, Selby and pick up the perfect gift for Christmas.

See the All’s Fair website.

Photos courtesy of Robin Stokes.

View/download the competition poster

WIN a fairandfunky workshop and a Divine Chocolate Fundraising pack for your school!

A new competition from fairandfunky invites Primary Schools across Yorkshire to create an A4 poster, using Divine Chocolate packaging, on the theme ‘Fairtrade for The Future.’

The winning design in each category (KS1 and KS2) will win a fairandfunky workshop, AND a Divine Chocolate fundraising kit, as well as a hamper for the individual artist.

Each poster must include Divine Chocolate packaging. Packs including enough for a whole class to take part are available here: http://www.fairandfunky.com/fairtrade-online-shop/resources/ for a nominal postage fee.

We look forward to seeing the winning designs. Good luck!

The latest addition to Fairtrade Yorkshire’s growing network of local groups is Fairtrade Halifax.

The group was brought together by Halifax’s recently elected MP, Holly Lynch and Calderdale Councillor, Adam Wilkinson.  The first meeting was held at Halifax Town Hall and representatives attended from Calderdale Council, Lloyd’s, Fairtrade wholesaler, Suma and Traidcraft.  Local activists joined together with the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Calderdale to celebrate the launch of the group.

Holly Lynch opened the meeting which was addressed by Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, Mark Dawson and Helen Robinson from FairandFunky and Fairtrade Kirklees.  Mark stated; ‘it’s fantastic that we have this new group in Halifax and we look forward to working with Calderdale Council and local employers such as Lloyds, Nestle and Suma, as well as with small businesses.  The group has a great opportunity to promote fairness and justice for all the producers and farmers that provide us with the goods that we enjoy.  Welcome to the newest addition to our family.’

The Deputy Mayoress of Calderdale, Holly Lynch MP and the Deputy Mayor of Calderdale

Holme Valley Fairtrade was named runner-up at the Annual Fairtrade Campaign Awards.  The group was awarded second place for Best Media Campaign at the Fairtrade Foundation’s National Supporter Conference in London last weekend.

The group was recognised for their commitment to raising awareness about the principles and values of Fairtrade in their local community during Fairtrade Fortnight 2015, a highlighted campaign for the grassroots movement in the UK.

During Fairtrade Fortnight 2015 Holme Valley Fairtrade members, Social Progress displayed a 5ft inflatable Fairtrade Banana and Mug of Fairtrade Tea outside their Honley Bridge Office. Within 48 hours the banana went missing so they launched the “#MissingBanana” campaign. Through the various channels of social media and a few tongue-in-cheek posters, they called upon the help of the locals as well as Honley High School. Within another 48 hours students from the school spotted the banana in the river! The campaign was an opportunity to turn something negative into something positive. We’re pleased to say that it helped to raise the profile of Fairtrade and Fairtrade Fortnight through the use of the hashtags #FairtradeFortnight and #FairtradeMatters on social media – and the story reached the local press too!

On receiving the award, Helen Robinson from the Holme Valley Fairtrade group said: “We are so proud and excited to be runners up for the award – so much so that you’d think we came first! The best thing to come out of the #MissingBanana campaign is a new partnership with the High School, we’re looking forward to working together in Fairtrade Fortnight 2016, and maybe actually WIN next year!”
Adam Gardner, Communities Campaigns Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “We are very grateful to the Holme Valley Fairtrade Group for their valuable support to farmers and workers around the globe who are continuously working hard to bring us the products we love. All too often these communities are not receiving a fair price for their work, but campaigners from the Holme Valley have shown their dedication to this cause. It’s so important for communities to get involved and let their voice be heard.

“Thanks to the ongoing support of campaigners and businesses around the UK, including campaigners from the Holme Valley Fairtrade today reaches millions of vulnerable farmers and workers in over 70 countries.”

The one day conference in London brought together campaigners from across the UK, Fairtrade producers and experts in global development. The day featured a sneak peek into the Fairtrade Foundation’s 2016-2020 strategy, innovative and informative workshops and the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight 2016, among many other items.

Fairtrade has paved the way for sustainable trading by providing a safety net for world’s poorest farmers against volatile market prices, and the Fairtrade Premium to invest in vital community, business and environmental projects.

The UK has one of the most powerful networks of Fairtrade campaigners in the world, including over 600 Fairtrade Towns, 1350 Fairtrade Schools and 170 Fairtrade Universities, and 7,500 Fairtrade places of worship.

One of the first Fairtrade schools in Kirklees: Holme Junior and Infant School are putting together their application for Fairtrade Status renewal, and launched their campaign with a Fairtrade Coffee Afternoon for the parents and the community at the start of the new school term.

The children at Holme School know a lot about Fairtrade and were involved in every stage of the event; Reception children designed and decorated Fairtrade themed bunting, Key Stage 2 children designed brilliant posters to promote the event around the community. Working with the school cook, Class One made the cakes and biscuits for the event and proudly described the Fairtrade ingredients to visiting parents.

Throughout the afternoon parents were welcomed into busy Fairtrade focussed classrooms and invited to create the Fairtrade logo for themselves using recycled materials, or take part in a Geography activity to map Fairtrade or even use the school iPads for market research into the major supermarkets commitment to Fairtrade.

Alongside the Fairtrade refreshments the students and teachers were joined by fairandfunky with a pop-up shop to launch their rice challenge. Year 6 children helped on the fairandfunky pop-up shop, selling Fairtrade gifts to fellow students and parents using impressive mental maths as their customers all clamoured for attention at the same time!

Fairtrade is embedded into life at the school from the cups of tea in the staff room, ingredients in the school kitchen, to the footballs used by the children at playtime. Fairtrade rice and chocolate packaging is used to teach art, and Fairtrade chocolate becomes a focus for cross curricular learning with Class 2. “We’re a small school making a big difference,” says head teacher Mrs Anne Swain, “our strong links with local and global communities really enrich children’s experiences. We’re very excited to have Fairtrade at the heart of our learning in this way.”