Bridgemary Carnival (Saturday 17 July)  Fairtrade was promoted by the Southern Coop with a display outside their store.

Brune Park Community College (Friday 16th July) held a Fair Share Picnic for Year 7, where everyone had Fairtrade items in their lunch.  A football tournament with a World Cup theme added to the event together with an art display and competition with an African theme  and a performance of African style drumming and dancing to close the tournament. The Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Roger Allen, gave out the prizes (Fairtrade Chocolates), medals and trophies – all provided by the Southern Cooperatives. The trophies included a Fairplay Shield as well as a Golden Boot.  Teacher Mark Smith said it had been a great way to kick off Brune Park’s campaign to become a Fairtrade School.

‘Food and Faith’ at St Mary’s Parish Centre, Alverstoke (Saturday 19th June)   A Traidcraft stall sold Fairtrade food while a display about ‘Fairtrade and the Environment’ explained how ‘consuming better’ includes Fairtrade products as well as local.               

Festival of Spring (Sunday 25 April) at Grange Farm. A Fairtrade display focused on Fairtrade and the Environment and Climate Change and a quiz linked to the display attracted enthusiastic competitors. A stall sold Fairtrade products.

 

 Jo Thompson and Callum and Fraser Bailey focus on the quiz

 

31st March 2010 – Presentation of Fairtrade Borough Certificate to the Mayor

  Michael Heaps, Chairman of GFA, presented the certificate that renews Gosport’s status as a Fairtrade Borough until June 2011 to the then Mayor, Councillor Diane Searle, at the full Council Meeting.

 

Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 – 22 February – 7 March

  

Big Swap – Gosport surpasses its Target !

  

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, which were available from Morrisons, during the Fortnight only.

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 (passed on 11th March!) 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 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 February (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.

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.

 Tues. 23 Feb – Gosport Business Centre held a Fairtrade Coffee Morning

Clients were encouraged to Bring and Swap. An enthusiastic crowd of business men and women tasted and acclaimed a huge variety of Fairtrade products from snack bars, muffins and chocolate to wine, coffee and juices. A display provided information about Fairtrade at work and leaflets to take away. (More)

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 instrumentalists 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