Canterbury becomes 60th Fairtrade Diocese

25 February 2008

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The Diocese of Canterbury has become the 60^th Fairtrade Denominational Area and during Fairtrade Fortnight will be hosting a number of events such as fashion shows, food and wine tasting sessions, coffee mornings and children’s story-telling sessions. More than 120 churches in and around Canterbury in Kent, now serve Fairtrade teas, coffee and other products.

The Bishop in Canterbury, Stephen Venner, is delighted by the achievement. “Jesus told us to love our neighbours as ourselves and so a concern for justice is an important feature of being a Christian. I am very pleased that the Diocese of Canterbury has become a Fairtrade area, and particularly with how we have done it. We have taken time over it, so that it should be a bottom-up process. Local individuals, churches and church communities have entered into a real engagement with and commitment to trade justice issues.”

More than 4,000 Fairtrade Churches, 37 Fairtrade Synagogues, Britain’s first Fairtrade Mosque and other faith groups will take part in this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight (25 February – 9 March). They will join with communities across the country, who will take part in more than 10,000 planned activities during Fairtrade Fortnight, the Fairtrade Foundation’s annual campaign which brings together producers, campaigners, retailers, licensees and NGOs in a nationwide effort to promote products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark. For a list of events visit www.fairtrade.org.uk and just click on the events button – the calendar is searchable by region and by date.

In Birmingham, the UK’s joint Fairtrade Synagogue, the Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, will be hosting a visit from a cotton producer from Mali and serving a Fairtrade lunch after Shabbat (March 1). Rabbi Margaret Jacobi says “We are really keen to support the idea of Fairtrade because Judaism teaches people to make sure workers are not oppressed and are treated justly. As this is the basis of Fairtrade we are glad to support it and are delighted to be able to hear first-hand the difference Fairtrade makes to a producer community.”

The UK’s first Fairtrade Mosque, the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking, will be promoting Fairtrade with the local community and hosting a producer visit. The Mosque’s Imam Liaquat Ali Amod, says: “We feel that producers in developing countries should have a better life and be paid a fair price for their crops. That’s why we encourage our congregation to buy Fairtrade so that communities can invest in their future.”

For faith groups that want to get involved, the Fairtrade Church Action Guide 2008 is packed with information and ideas for individuals and churches to help promote Fairtrade throughout the year. For the Church Action Guide visit www.fairtrade.org.uk.

The first Fairtrade Churches e-newsletter was launched this month and to subscribe go to www.fairtrade.org.uk. Also new for Fairtrade Fortnight is the first Fairtrade ‘Poterion’ communion wine, made with Fairtrade certified wine grapes and produced by Vinos Los Robles from Chile. Through the sale of this wine, grape farmers in the Los Robles Co-operative receive a Fairtrade premium to invest in social projects of their own choice, such as housing and healthcare.

Fortnight is promoted by networks around the country including development agencies CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, SCIAF, Tearfund, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development Movement, as well as a wide range of other organisations: Shared Interest, Banana Link, People & Planet, the Mothers’ Union, The National Federation of Women’s Institutes, the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, the United Reformed Church, the Methodist Relief Development Fund, other churches and church-related organizations, and the UNISON and PCS trade unions.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 will kick off with an action-packed event on London’s South Bank on Sunday 24^th February 2008. Fairtrade Towns across the UK will get a visit from the ‘Choose Fairtrade Bus’ during this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight. The ‘Choose Fairtrade Bus’ will visit communities across the UK that have made a collective commitment to choose Fairtrade. The bus will begin its journey at the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight on London’s South Bank before stopping at Ipswich, Leeds, Sunderland, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Middlesbrough, Durham, Carlisle, Garstang, Stoke-on-Trent, Lichfield, and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The theme of Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 is Change Today, Choose Fairtrade and passengers who hop on the specially adapted open-top campaign bus will be learn more about Fairtrade in the on-board cinema and, through interactive displays and activities. Live music performances, discussions and competitions have been organised by the Fairtrade Towns groups to welcome the Fairtrade Bus in town.

Ends

For more information please contact Faith Mall, Eileen Maybin or Martine Julseth at the Fairtrade Foundation at eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk ; martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk; or faith.mall@fairtrade.org.uk or call 020 7440 7695/07770 957 451.

Notes to Editors

In the UK, figures from TNS Omnimas* show that the FAIRTRADE Mark is now recognized by almost three in five British adults. The findings show that 57% of adults can identify the independent Fairtrade consumer label, and 53% of respondents correctly associated the symbol** with a better deal for producers in the developing world. UK Sales of Fairtrade certified products reached an estimated retail value of £290m in 2006, an increase of 49% over the past year, and in 2007 sales are already running at an annualized rate of over £400m.
The full range of more than 3,000 Fairtrade certified products now includes coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, lemons, oranges, satsumas, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs & spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beer, rum, confectionary, muesli, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homewear, cloth toys and cotton wool.
‘Poterion’, a Communion Wine made from Fairtrade Certified Wine grapes, and produced by Vinos Los Robles from Chile, will be available from Whitebridge Wines. . For further information and to order these wines, please contact Francis Peel on +44 (0)1785 817229 or email info@whitebridgewines.co.uk

The Choose Fairtrade Bus Tour dates are as follows:

24 Feb (Sun 11.00- 16.00) Riverside Walk, South Bank, London SE1 (Nr Gabriel’s Wharf)
26 Feb (Tues) Ipswich
28 Feb (Thurs) Leeds
29 Feb (Fri 11.00-12.00) Middlesbrough
29 Feb (Fri 13.30-14.30) Durham
1 Mar (Sat) Carlisle
1 Mar (Sat) Sunderland
2 Mar (Sun) Glasgow
3 Mar (Mon) Garstang
4 Mar (Tues) Liverpool
5 Mar (Wed 11-13.05) Stoke-on-Trent
5 Mar (Wed 14.30 – 15.30) Lichfield
6 Mar (Thurs) Birmingham
8 Mar (Sat) Cardiff
9 Mar (Sun) Bristol