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The winners of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight Awards received their awards on Saturday (27th September 2008) at the first of two Campaign Days, when Fairtrade campaigners from around the UK met to share the latest Fairtrade news, and pick up news skills to help promote Fairtrade in their local communities.   

The standard of this year’s entries was particularly high and inventive, and included roadshows, specially commissioned artwork, and a world record banana eating attempt, all with the aim of raising awareness of the Fairtrade Foundation’s annual two-week campaign. 

The winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award was Renfrewshire Council which, during Fairtrade Fortnight, organised a county-wide roadshow; worked with 20 local schools to organise special Fairtrade assemblies; and supported a number of local community groups in holding  Fairtrade themed events.

Pauline Moss, of Renfrewshire Council Fairtrade Steering Group said: “We are delighted to have won the award as Renfrewshire worked very hard to support local campaigners to generate events. Next year we hope to have an even bigger and better Fairtrade Fortnight.”

The Ashbourne Fairtrade Towns group in Derbyshire came top in two categories: Most Imaginative Campaign and Best Media Campaign. Three hundred and sixty-one campaigners (and a dog) broke the world record for simultaneous banana eating, using of course Fairtrade bananas.  

Campaigner Gill Chatfield from Louth, Lincolnshire was runner-up in the Most Imaginative Campaign category. Armed with her free bus pass and a blow-up Fairtrade banana, she embarked on a banana tour of Lincolnshire, aiming to visit as many Oxfam shops as possible on her 60^th birthday. Gill Chatfield said: “I’d just turned 60 and thought that travelling around Lincolnshire with a banana would be a good way of talking to people about Fairtrade. My trek generated lots of interest from fellow travellers, campaigners and the media. The award is the icing on the cake of what was a worthwhile adventure.”

The annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign is promoted by networks around the country including charities, trade unions, student groups, churches and other faith-based organisations. There are now more than 384 Fairtrade Towns and Cities across the UK, as well as 84 Fairtrade Universities, 2,000 schools, more than 4,500 Fairtrade Churches, and 36 Fairtrade Synagogues.

An estimated 12,000 events took place nationwide during Fairtrade Fortnight 2008, including coffee mornings, Fairtrade wine tastings, theatre productions, Fairtrade cotton fashion shows, poster competitions and Ready Steady Cook-offs. The full list of the winners is as follows:

Outstanding Achievement Award – Renfrewshire Council
Best Outreach and Networking Campaign - Derby (Winner), Basildon and Dundee (Runners-up)
Most Imaginative Campaign - Ashbourne (Winner), Louth (Runner-up)
Best Media Campaign - Ashbourne (Winner), Guernsey (Runner-up)
Best Fairtrade Campaign by a school - Otley All Saints (Winner-Primary), Malmesbury (Winner-Secondary), McAuley High School (Runner-up-Secondary)

Veronica Pasteur, Campaigns Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: ‘Congratulations to all the winners. The success of Fairtrade Fortnight is down to the thousands of Fairtrade campaigners up and down the country who work tirelessly each year to make Fairtrade Fortnight a success.  The innovative activities organised by this year’s award winners will provide inspiration for the Fairtrade campaigns networks which are now beginning to plan for Fairtrade Fortnight 2009.

‘By raising awareness of Fairtrade, campaigners are helping to support the 7.5 million people - farmers, workers and their families - across 59 developing countries who benefit from the international Fairtrade system.’

More than 200 campaigners will attend the Campaign Days  being held in London (27th September) and Sheffield (4th October). Guest speakers will include Tim Lang, Natural Resources and Land Use Commissioner on the UK Government’s Sustainable Development Commission; Willington Wamayeye, General Manager, Gumutindo Coffee Co-operative, Uganda; and Fairtrade Foundation Executive Director, Harriet Lamb.

For full details of the winners and Campaign Days visit www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved/campaigns

ENDS

For more information, interviews or photographs please contact Faith Mall 020 7440 8597 faith.mall@fairtrade.org.uk

 

Note to Editors

 

1. The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people - farmers, workers and their families - across 59 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

 

2. The full range of more than 4,000 Fairtrade certified products now includes coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs &  spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub, and cotton products including clothing, homewear, cloth toys, and cotton wool.

 

3. The event this Saturday was held at the School of Pharmacy, 29 – 39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N   1AX.
4. The event on Saturday 4^th October will be held at Hallam University, City Campus, Howard Street, Sheffield
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