Recent Events in Gosport

Fairtrade Fortnight 2010  – 22 February – 7 March

 

   

To listen to two interviews given by Sarah Hirom to Gosport Live about this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight in Gosport go to the Gosport Live site, where you’ll find the interviews on the 1st Feb. and 22nd Feb. programmes.

Big Swap

We  encouraged people to swap their usual choice of product to a Fairtrade version of the product at a variety of events and locations throughout Gosport.  All the main supermarkets and all the Co-op stores had a wide range of Fairtrade products on special offer during the Fortnight, to enable people to ’swap’ their usual purchases for Fairtrade purchases.  New products included  Fairtrade honeydew melons (outstandingly delicious!) from Brazil-  available from Morrisons.

We sent out Swap leaflets to churches, encouraged schools, a residents’ association, the dancers at the Gosport Community Association’s Tea Dance and everyone who came into the Town Hall to register their swaps. The national target is one million and one swaps  and if you haven’t done so yet you can still still register your swaps on line, here, at this link to the national registration site

Many people filled in our green Swap Forms and GFA then registered them nationally.

Our local Gosport target was 1,700 swaps.

We have currently exceeded our target with  2,039 (9 March) thanks in no small part to Brune Park Community College which almost hit the target on its own. 

A  Big THANK YOU to all who swapped and registered

 

  Fairtrade Fortnight Events

Sun 21 March.(after the morning service)   St Mary’s Alverstoke Church - held  A Fairtrade coffee morning and sale of Fair Trade products

22 Feb – 6 March  A display in the Discovery Centre  was about Swapping to Fairtrade with a focus on tea  - with an opportunity to register Swaps.

22 Feb – 6 March [ 12 -2pm]  At the Town Hall, (everyday except weekends and Thursdays ) in the reception area,  a stall offered tastings of chocolate, [and on one day fruit juices]  and an opportunity to ask questions about the Big Swap and to register Swaps.

Tues. 23 Feb  – the Gosport Business Centre held Fairtrade Coffee Morning with a Bring and Swap. It was very well attended by local business people who enthusiastically sampled a huge range of snacks and drinks from coffee to wine and seemed impressed by the variety and the quality. They also took the opportunity to explore the idea of introducing Fairtrade at Work though a display and discussion.

Mon. 1 March – 1.30pm – 4pm – A Fairtrade Tea Dance  at The Thorngate Hall had over 60 people dancing, enjoying Fairtrade refreshments, buying Fairtrade and  Traidcraft products from a stall and winning Fairtrade prizes in the raffle.  They all took home sample teabags of Fairtrade Tea.

Wed. 3 March, 7 – 8.30 pm   - in the Council Chamber, Gosport Town Hall,  Rita Broni, Producer Relations and Market Access officer of the  Fairtrade Foundation, gave a fascinating presentation on ‘Scaling up the impact of Fairtrade – extending the benefits of Fairtrade for the producers to meet development objectives’.  This focussed on how Fairtrade benefits producers and about the assistance directed to producer organisations by both the Fairtrade Foundation and FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisation).  This ticket only event was chaired by the Mayor and the Chief Executive who welcomed an audience of seasoned campaigners from all over Hampshire.

Rita also met with Co-op Managers and members in the afternoon and gave a presentation about marketing Fairtrade.

Rita visited schools: Brune Park  in Gosport, Wildern in Hedge End and Warblington in Havant – all at different stages of exploring the possibility of becoming a Fairtrade School. She talked with students involved and teachers and the inspiration was mutual!

In addition to the events mentioned various Churches, schools and residents associations put on their own events that were not open to the public.

 

Saturday, 12 December, 2009. The Mayor’s Christmas Coffee Morning

GFA took part in the Mayor’s coffee morning in Gosport Town Hall.  Traidcraft and Fair Trade stalls offered Christmas presents “with a difference” and  Fairtrade prizes supplied by the Co-op featured in the raffle.  Fairtrade refreshments included Fairtrade tea and coffee and butterfly cakes made with Fairtrade chocolate – delicious!

 

 Thursday, 29 October, 2009- an evening of music for Fairtrade

 The concert at the Discovery Centre was a sell out, a hugely successful and enjoyable evening for all with great performances from singers and instrumenalists who presented a diverse and diverting mix of music, from classical guitar to barbershop and jazz.   The money raised will enable GFA to promote Fairtrade more effectively.

 Solent Sounds Chorus. Photo: Nuisha Abab                 

  During October, 2009, at Waitrose in Gosport

GFA was one of the charities /voluntary organisations chosen for the Waitrose “Community Matters” Scheme for October. Shoppers receive a token at the checkout which they can put in a box for their preferred charity;  at the end of the month Waitose divides up £1000 in proportion to the votes cast by shoppers.

A big ‘Thank you’ to  Waitrose and to all the shoppers who put their token in GFA’s box.  GFA’s share amounted to about £280 and will enable us to meet the costs of putting on more promotional events in Gosport.

 Saturday, 26 September,2009  - Alverstoke Michaelmas Fair

GFA members sold Fairtrade and Traidcraft products to the multitudes who attended the Alverstoke Michaelmas Fayre on a gloriously sunny afternoon

 

Saturday, 19 September,  2009 – Leesland Park Community Festival

GFA provided a Fairtrade refreshment stall at Leesland Park Community Festival

 

Sunday, 13 September , 2009 – Grange Farm’s Wild Harvest

GFA had a Fairtrade stall and exhibition at Grange Farm’s Wild Harvest