Yorkshire, the UK’s first Fairtrade Region has had its status renewed by the Fairtrade Foundation.  Adam Gardner of the Foundation congratulated Fairtrade Yorkshire on its success in promoting Fairtrade to the good Yorkshire public and to specific groups including: local authorities, the media, businesses, schools, and other places of education, and  faith and community groups.

Fairtrade supporters in York celebrate the renewal of Yorkshire’s Fairtrade Region status.

Yorkshire has enjoyed its status now for 16 months and during that time Fairtrade Yorkshire has gone from strength to strength.  Highlights from this period include the visit of banana farmer, Aimeth Angulo, to Yorkshire.  Aimeth toured the region from Immingham to Skipton and Malton to Hebden Bridge, by way of:  Bradford, the East Riding, Harrogate, Holmfirth, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York.  At each location she attended events, gave talks and spoke to local people to tell of the benefits that Fairtrade brings to producers from poor communities.  Fairtrade Yorkshire has also helped organise several school conferences and has issued Fairtrade in Yorkshire schools awards to recognise the achievements of many schools in promoting Fairtrade.

Local Fairtrade campaigns in Yorkshire have enjoyed a great deal of success in the past year and a half.  The Fairtrade Towns family is soon set to welcome Horsforth, Immingham, Keighley and Skipton.  Fairtrade Doncaster has enjoyed a relaunch, significantly raising the profile of Fairtrade in the Borough.

In the status renewal process Fairtrade Yorkshire has identified a series of goals to work towards over the next two years, these include:

Encouraging more towns and boroughs to work towards Fairtrade status.

Collaborating more closely with Development Education Centres to promote Fairtrade awareness in schools.

Working alongside Yorkshire-based businesses.

Increasing our media profile in South Yorkshire and in feature publications.

Holding more events and conferences in different parts of the region.

International World Fair Trade Day (10th May) was celebrated in York with the holding of a Fair Trade market in the city’s Parliament Street.  A wide range of Fairtrade food and beverages was on sale, alongside fairly traded crafts, clothes, jewellery and accessories.  Local Fair Traders included: Fairer World, Alligator wholefoods, York Scarves and Peruvian Kids.

York Fair Trade Market

On the following day, a Fair Trade service was held at St. Lawrence’s church to mark the 10th anniversary of York as Fairtrade City.  Fr. Tim Jones lead the service and Sue Maskill of York Fair Trade Forum introduced the confession with the words of Martin Luther King.  Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, Mark Dawson, gave the address and talked about his research at the University of Leeds which is focussed on church action on Fair Trade.

The Fair Trade service at St. Lawrence’s.

Following the service worshippers enjoyed a celebration in the church hall with refreshment and cakes and a chance to operate a pedal powered smoothie maker.

The fortnight is over for another year – and what a packed one it was in Yorkshire!

Check out our photo gallery roundup of the events taking place across the region – including the tour of our guest banana grower, Aimeth Angulo from Colombia.

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Fairtrade Penistone held a fun and successful evening ‘Let’s All Go Bananas’.  This featured a Ready, Steady Banana Cook, with Janine Lishman-Peat and Mike Goodwin preparing, and cooking, a mouth watering array of Fairtrade banana dishes, assisted by compere, Jeremy Cutts and aided by Banana Man.

This was followed by ‘Your Best Banana Bites’.  Members of the audience had been invited to enter a banana dish into a competition. The dishes were then judged by Janine and Mike before being tasted by everyone. 

In addition to the culinary displays, Fairtrade Penistone stressed the importance of the Fairtrade message and the difference that Fairtrade can make to the lives of the banana producers and their families.

During Fairtrade Fortnight, Maltby Academy students held a bake off competition to raise awareness of Fairtrade issues and help raise money for the Fairtrade Foundation. 

Five of the winning students presented Councillor Ken Wyatt of Fairtrade Rotherham with a cheque for £107.55.  Cllr. Wyatt talked to the students about the work of the Fairtrade Foundation and Yorkshire’s role as the UK’s first Fairtrade Region.

Aimeth (centre) with Ian and Judy at Fair Grounds.

Sheffield has gained a dedicated Fair Trade shop in the shape of Fair Grounds at 195 Whitham Road, close to the University and hospital.

Fair Grounds sells a wide range of Fairtrade foodstuffs and fairly traded crafts,  toys, jewellery and accessories.

The new shop opened just in time for Fairtrade Fortnight and the visit of Columbian banana farmer, Aimeth Angulo, who enjoyed a long browse and a chat with staff members, Ian and Judy.

Fair Grounds website

Fair Grounds on Facebook

Postcode: S10 2SN

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Tom (left) and Aimeth (third from right) with staff and students at Oasis Academy.

Fairtrade Yorkshire covers the Yorkshire and Humber Region and hence we support, not only Yorkshire folk in the promotion of the Fair Trade cause, but also the good people of northern Lincolnshire who live on the south bank of the Humber.  Fairtrade hotspot in this area is the town of Immingham which has an active campaign to gain Fairtrade status.  During Fairtrade Fortnight, Columbian banana farmer, Aimeth Angulo visited the town to support the campaign.

Tom Horton of Fairtrade Immingham spoke of Aimeth’s visit to the town’s Oasis Academy:

“Our students and staff thoroughly enjoyed meeting Aimeth – everyone noted her warmth and kindness. We managed to visit a number of classes who had prepared questions in advance for Aimeth, she delivered her presentation to a group of Year 8 students, toured the academy and had refreshments with those who she had been unable to meet. I have no doubt that the experience of meeting a Fairtrade producer will support our work throughout the town’s campaign and I’m quietly confident that sales of Fairtrade bananas will have gone through the roof!!! “

You can find out more about the Immingham campaign by checking out Facebook and the You Tube video below:

Facebook: Immingham Fairtrade Initiative

You Tube video

Ken Wyatt shows off Fairtrade beers.

Rotherham Real Ale & Music Festival was held at MAGNA on 5^th – 8^th March, coinciding with Fairtrade Fortnight.

Ken Wyatt of Fairtrade Rotherham, who is also one of the organisers of the festival, made sure that there were Fairtrade beers available for South Yorkshire drinkers to enjoy.

The festival is regarded as one of the best in the UK and supports a number of local good causes.

All who help run, set-up, take down and administer the festival are volunteers; making it one of the largest volunteer run events in the region.

Church Warden, Clive House, Development Officer,Louise O’Brien and Vicar, Rev Paul Shackerley.

Senior staff at Doncaster Minster expressed their support for Fairtrade Doncaster.  The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is very active in its promotion of Fairtrade and towards the end of 2013 a new Fairtrade Borough Steering Group was set up to support work with businesses, schools, Doncaster College, faith and community groups.

Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, Mark Dawson, met with the Vicar of the Minster, Paul Shackerley, and members of his team, to discuss the role of the churches and Fairtrade in Doncaster Borough.

Mark commented ‘It was great to meet the team at the Minster which plays a strong role in the life of the town.  Fairtrade  Doncaster has gone from strength to strength and it is always a pleasure to visit the town.  It is important that Fairtrade has a strong presence here, not least because Doncaster is such a significant retail “hotspot.”

Aimeth at work

Aimeth Angulo, a Colombian producer of Fairtrade bananas, will be touring Yorkshire during Fairtrade Fortnight (24th February to 9th March) to tell of the difference Fairtrade has made to her life and to her community.

Aimeth will be visiting schools, universities and community groups during the tour.  She will also be attending the following events which are open to all members of the public.  Do come along and meet her.

The full line-up of Aimeth’s events is below – don’t forgot to check the events page for other events taking place across Yorkshire during Fairtrade Fortnight.

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