A Special Fairtrade Fortnight for Felixstowe

Fairtrade fortnight (22 Feb to 7 March) will be special for supporters of the movement in Felixstowe this year as they celebrate the awarding of Fairtrade Town Status to the town. The announcement was made at the end of last year but this will be the first real opportunity for people to come together to mark the achievement.

Alan Muchal is chairman of the Felixstowe Fairtrade Forum which has campaigned for the last two and a half years to obtain this award. He said: “We were so pleased when we heard that our application had achieved success. We have had tremendous support from the people of Felixstowe who have continued to buy Fairtrade goods despite difficult economic times. We are grateful to all the cafes and shops that have promoted and sold Fairtrade products and to the Town Council, churches and voluntary groups who have helped achieve this goal.”

Alan had especially warm words for Colneis School which has been very active in promoting Fairtrade to the next generation. He said: “I am sure we would not have achieved this award so quickly had it not been for the efforts of staff and pupils at Colneis. The enthusiasm of the children has been infectious and the highlight of the year for us was the Fairtrade Fashion Show we organised jointly with the school in the autumn.”

Fairtrade Fortnight kicks off with a Fairtrade Health Walk on Monday 22 February starting at 10.30 at Trinity Methodist Church. All are invite to join in a two mile walk with refreshment to follow.

It is hoped that as many Fairtrade supporters as possible will be able to attend the open morning to be held at Trinity Methodist Church on Saturday 27 February from 10am –12 noon. There will be Fairtrade refreshments and the opportunity to sample some of the wide range of Fairtrade products that are now available. An event is also being planned to thank traders and others for their support.

There will be a display in the library and in the Aston Graham window in the town centre. Cafes and shops will also have promotions and will carry publicity for Fairtrade. The Felixstowe Fairtrade Forum already has more than 100 members and is hoping to add to that number during Fairtrade Fortnight. Membership is free.

For further information on Fairtrade and the work of the forum visit their web site at www.felixstowe-fairtrade.org.uk or contact secretary Stephen Wyatt on 01394 671033.

Background Information on Fairtrade in Felixstowe

What is Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is a rapidly growing international movement which seeks to guarantee a better deal for farmers and workers in the developing world. A product that is Fairtrade certified carries a label, the FAIRTRADE Mark. By buying Fairtrade certified products consumers can make a real difference to the lives of those farmers and workers and their families.

As well as guaranteeing producer organisations a fair and stable price for their products that covers the cost of production, they also receive a social premium – extra money that has to be spent on community projects. For example in Tanzania tea pickers chose to spend the social premium to set up a shop selling affordable food.

There are about 3000 different kinds of Fairtrade products sold in the UK with total sales of about £493m in 2007.

The Fairtrade Foundation is the independent certification body in the UK that awards the FAIRTRADE Mark to products which meet Fairtrade standards. They also promote Fairtrade through events such as Fairtrade Fortnight.

To find out more about Fairtrade and the work of the Foundation visit www.fairtrade.org.uk

Fairtrade in Felixstowe
The Felixstowe Fairtrade Forum was set up in 2007 with the aim of promoting Fairtrade in Felixstowe. One of our main objectives was to obtain Fairtrade Town status for Felixstowe which we achieved in December 2009. We enjoy the support of Felixstowe Town Council; shops, cafes and other businesses; churches, voluntary organisations and many individual citizens. The Forum has over 100 members.

We have developed a special relationship with Colneis School. They have set up a Fairtrade club and have organised a number of events including a Christmas Fair and a Fairtrade picnic in the summer. They also took part in the ‘Go Bananas’ event during Fairtrade Fortnight last year. In the autumn we jointly organised a Fairtrade Fashion Show at the school attended by some 150 people. Fairtrade is also firmly embedded in the curriculum. Colneis applied to become a Fairtrade school in Decemebr and is currently awaiting the result. The Forum hopes to develop and expand its work with schools in 2010.

We have worked closely with the Felixstowe Chamber of Trade and we support and publicise the sale of Fairtrade products from at least twenty different outlets in the town. We organise publicity and events to promote Fairtrade including coffee mornings, walks, displays and competitions. We have participated in the Carnival for the last two years and hope to do so again this year.

For more information on the Forum visit www.felixstowe-fairtrade.org.uk All the outlets selling Fairtrade goods in the town are listed.

Shared Interest
Shared Interest is a cooperative of UK investors which makes loans at fair rates of interest to Fairtrade producers in developing countries. These producers need working capital to finance raw material purchases, fertiliser etc which is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain from the commercial market at reasonable rates. With more and more producers anxious to supply the growing Fairtrade market the demand for such investment is increasing.

Shared Interest members invest upwards of £100 each. Currently no interest is paid but investors have the satisfaction of knowing that their money is being put to excellent use in enabling more people to be able to take advantage of supplying the Fairtrade market. Regular statements are given and money can be withdrawn at any time.

The Felixstowe Fairtrade Forum supports Shared Interest and has invested its surplus funds from fund raising events with the organisation. The Forum will be publicising the work of Shared Interest during Fairtrade Fortnight and throughout the year.
Leaflets will be available at the library, at the coffee morning or from Harambee at 3 Victoria St. Alternatively visit the Shared Interest website at www.shared-interest.com