Fairtrade Fortnight 2010
22 Feb to 7 March
The theme this year has been the Big Swap. The idea was to get 1,000,001 people committing to swapping their normal purchases for a Fairtrade one. The registration of Swaps continues. If you haven’t already, please register yours here
We did it! National target met and exceeded!
(11.03.2010)
This includes shops, cafes, canteens, workplaces, schools, churches, etc. but if you can just change one product it will be part of a huge change.
SWAP YOUR CUPPA – you can carry on doing this after Fairtrade Fortnight!
A big focus is on tea. 20 million people around the world depend on tea production and they are often some of the poorest. In Britain we drink about 165 million cups of tea a day and only 10% of that is Fairtrade.
What we’d like to see is the big companies switching to Fairtrade: Tetleys, PG Tips, Typhoo, Twinings and Yorkshire Tea.
You can contact these firms directly as well downloading case studies and photos by clicking here.
Of course the companies are claiming that they are all ethical so you might like to see their replies plus comments from campaigners here.
Members of the local group would be happy to come to your organisation to tell you more about tea production and why Fairtrade is so important. We could perhaps also organise a tea-tasting for your group or help you with planning one. Awards for the best tea-related ideas: a Mad Hatters’ party? A Teddy Bear’s Tea Party? a Cuppathon?
Visit from a Fairtrade tea producer.
At our Fairtrade Curry Evening at the University of Portsmouth on Friday 5th March (see ‘EVENTS in PORTSMOUTH’ below) we were delighted to welcome Fairtrade tea producer, Vinay Devaiah. He talked about his work and what it meant for his estate to be Fairtrade. He also visited The Well, in Fareham on Sat, 6th March, in the morning. If you missed him you can catch up here :
Vinay works at the Thiashola estate, in Tamil Nadu, South India. You can see a film about tea production in India which features him here: Swap your cuppa
You can read more about the context of tea growing in the Western Ghats here
An account of someone’s visit to the estate in September 2009 is here
You can find out where to buy the tea Detailed notes on the flavour of tea from Thiashola
We had stalls (with pledges) in the Cascades shopping Centre every day during the Fortnight, free bananas in Guildhall Square on Tuesday 2nd and visited lots of events you invited us to!
EVENTS AROUND THE AREA
EVENTS in PORTSMOUTH
Throughout the Fortnight
There was a Fairtrade stall every day in the Cascades Shopping Centre, where a SWAPometer registered people’s pledges to Swap to Fairtrade products. similarly in churches, schools and community centres.
Tuesday 2nd March. – We gave out free bananas (thanks to Fyffes) and collected pledges in Guildhall Square from 11-3.
Friday 5th March, 7 pm to 9.30 pm. The Fairtrade Curry Evening at The Hub, University of Portsmouth, Dennis Sciama Building Burnaby Road Portsmouth PO1 3FX with Fairtrade tea producer, Vinay Devaiah (see above for more details/ film) was very well attended by about 110 people who enjoyed a delicious meal ( tickets were £5 including a curry and soft drink); live music, a bar, competitions, stalls selling fantastic quality crafts, a very infomative talk from Vinay about his Fairtrade tea estate; slide shows and a Swapathon, where everyone brought along one of their favourite Fairtrade products for our giant Fairtrade swap.
We’re had some tasting stalls in local supermarkets
EVENTS in GOSPORT
Throughout the Fortnight :
The Discovery Centre – had an exhibition about Swapping and tea with a SWAPometer and an opportunity to register swaps.
Town Hall - had a huge banner in the reception area advertising Fairtrade Fortnightand the BIG SWAP. A display about Swapping with a SWAPometer, was staffed at lunch times when passers by were able to sample Fairtrade chocolate (and occasionally juice); to register their swaps and collect information about possible Fairtrade products to swap.
Tues. 23 Feb – Gosport Business Centre held a Fairtrade Coffee Morning, encouraging their clients 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 provide information about Fairtrade at work and leaflets to take away.
1st March - 1pm -4pm -Fairtrade Tea Dance at the Thorngate Hall was well attended and most people took home Fairtrade Teabags to try.
(For more about these and other events in Gosport)
EVENTS in HAVANT
Tues. 23rd Feb and Tues. 2nd March from 10.45 a.m. to 12 noon. The Big Brew in St Mary’s Hall on Hayling Island offered information about the tea trade and how we can change it.
Thursday 25th Feb – A Fairtrade exhibition was on display in Havant Civic Offices with a stall and coffee tasting
Thursday 25th Feb. from 9.30 to 12.00 - there was a Fairtrade Traidcraft coffee morning in Heath room, All Saints Denmead.
Saturday 27th Feb, 7 for 7.30 pm -EATING WELL TOGETHER – A special meal was cooked with fair trade goods, supplemented by good locally sourced produce where appropriate, plus entertainment, plus fair trade wines… A very enjoyable evening.
A celebration of Fair Trade’s success in Fair Trade fortnight took place at The Meeting Place, Havant United Reformed Church, Elm Lane, Havant. Guests were encouraged to come hungry! (tickets were £5 each or £10 per family; the price included: two course dinner, plus coffee and mints, fair trade wine or fruit Juice and musical entertainment. [Sponsored by Havant Fair Trade Forum, Havant URC and Churches Together in Havant and Bedhampton.]
The Havant Fairtrade group and the local Youth Council took the Fairtrade message out to local schools.
Warblington School’s Council met with a Rita Broni from the Fairtrade Foundation
Watch out for more news!
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