Karen Palframan of Bradford Fairtrade District will don her hiking boots to take a step along the Fair Trade Way.

Karen, pictured here with the founding father of Fairtrade towns & cities, Bruce Crowther, plans to help activists throughout the county extend the Fair Trade Way across Yorkshire.

The Way will start at the Fair Trade visitor centre in the world’s first Fairtrade town of Garstang.  Centuries of enmity between ourselves and the aud enemy have been brought to an end as the hiking route will link the Lancashire town with a network of paths across Yorkshire.  Thus enabling those unfortunate enough to live on the wrong side of the Pennines to witness the paradise that is the Yorkshire countryside.

LATEST NEWS – The first part of the Yorkshire Fair Trade Way has been established linking all the Fairtrade towns in the Bradford Metropolitan District.  Click here for details on this scenic circular walking route.

The Yorkshire Gets ready event was held on 20th January.  Schools from across the county came together to meet with Fairtrade supporters and retailers at the University of Leeds.

Fairtrade Yorkshire ran the event in conjunction with the Leeds Development Education Centre.  Gary Craig from the Wilberforce Institute gave a speech on present day child slavery, encouraging us all to ask questions about where the goods we use are made.

The pupils who took part all enjoyed the bite sized workshops, which included the making of puppets for a Fairtrade video and the up-cycling of unwanted items to create a fetching pair of flip flops (fitting with this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight theme – Take A Step).

In January Fairtrade Yorkshire Coordinator, Mark Dawson, met with Fairtrade cocoa producers, Koaume Fasseri & Fulgence N’Guessan from the Ivory Coast.  Koaume & Fulgence were visiting the UK representing the Kavokiva cooperative, which supplies the cocoa for the four fingered Kit Kats produced by Nestle in York.

At an event at York’s Manor School they spoke with pupils who are taking part in the Archbishop of York’s Young Leaders Award.  This was followed by a Dragons’ Den exercise with Mark, Harriet Lamb (CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation) & Wouter from Nestle as the fearsome dragons.

The 2012 Fairtrade Campaign

The York Festival of Fairtrade 2012 will take place from 27th February to 11^th March.

During the Festival there will be over a hundred events including sales, tastings and events at churches, schools, community groups and at the city’s universities.

The highlight of the Festival will be the three day York Fair Trade Market, held in partnership with City of York Council, which will take place on Friday 9^th, Saturday 10^th and Sunday 11^th March.  Parliament Street will be filled with a wide variety of colourful stalls selling Fairtrade food & drink, crafts, clothes, bags, jewellery and fashion accessories.

At the market on Saturday 10^th March there will be a day of entertainment including the infectious sound of samba and music and dancing from around the world.

The Fairtrade Foundation are running a ‘Take a Step for Fairtrade’ campaign for 2012. Read more about this – and record your steps – on their website.

Keep watching this space for more Fairtrade Fortnight events in Yorkshire!

Take an action linked to the Millennium Development Goals to help reduce global poverty and you could win a place at an international student conference in Slovenia!

Organised by Leeds Development Education Centre. See Education for Social Justice competition poster for more information.

Contact Lesley to register your interest – Phone: 0113 380 5657 or email: Lesley@leedsdec.org.uk
Closing date for entries is 9th December 2011

Mama Fairtrade shows her support

Mama Fairtrade, Patricia Mutangili, has given her backing to the campaign for Fairtrade Yorkshire.  On a recent visit to God’s own county, she spoke to supporters about the difference Fairtrade has made to the lives of tea farmers in Kenya.

Mama Fairtrade has earned her title because she spreads the message of Fairtrade wherever she goes.  Patricia is part of a cooperative of tea farmers who sell their tea to Ndima, which supplies tea used in the Traidcraft range.

Mama meets East Riding Fairtrade stalwart, Ros Stanley of Cherry Burton.

Mama Fairtrade met supporters of the Fairtrade movement at a meeting in our capital city, York.  She explained why every cup of Fairtrade tea we buy makes a difference;

‘It is going to bring bread to the tables of the producers.  It is going to make them educate their children.  It is going to make them more employment and they are going to elevate their standards of living.’

Patricia in Fairer World

Mama went on to visit York retailers Fairer World.  Their shop is in the city’s Gillygate & they have the largest range of Fairtrade & fairly traded goods in the city.  It was a thrill for Patricia to find her Traidcraft tea on sale.

The Fairtrade Yorkshire campaign was launched in the county’s historic capital city of York during Fairtrade Fortnight 2011.

The launch event which attracted over 2000 visitors included a rousing performance by the Golden Rail brass band.

Fairtrade Yorkshire Coordinator, Mark Dawson, commented ” It’s grand to see so much enthusiasm for the campaign.  Yorkshire has a proud tradition of campaigning for improved working conditions, and fairness in trade, and here we are poised to become the world’s first Fairtrade region. ”

credit: Bryan Unkles

Fairtrade Fortnight in Sheffield had an atheletic edge to it when stars of its rugby union teams showed off their lables.  The teams braved the snow to support Fairtrade at an event organised by locally based business, Cafeology.

Cafeology are an ethical beverage and equipment supplier who provide Fairtrade coffee, chocolate and sugar to companies across the UK and Ireland.