The Church of England super Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales has voted to work to become a Fairtrade Diocese.

A vote was taken at the Diocesan Synod on March 12th.

Synod members enthusiastically supported a motion to work towards becoming a Fairtrade Diocese by writing to all churches asking them, where not already registered, to register as a Fairtrade Church.  A letter will also be sent to all Church of England schools asking them, if not already registered, to register as a Fairtrade school – and a Fairtrade steering group will be set up to steer the registration of the Diocese as a Fairtrade Diocese.

The motion was put by Ven Bev Mason, Archdeacon of Richmond and Craven, pictured left with Kay Brown, Chaplain of Abbey Grange School who talked about the way schools can imaginatively adopt Fairtrade status.

The vote follows a campaign by Fairtrade supporters including: Barbara Judd, Heather Grinton and Rev Tina Walker who have worked hard to raise the profile of Fairtrade across the Diocese. Rev Tina said that she was ‘absolutely delighted and thrilled’ by the result of the Synod vote.

ILKLEY SERVES UP MOOR FAIRTRADE

Collaboration was the order of the day on Saturday 5th March when Ilkley Fairtrade Group, Ilkley Soroptimists and local Girlguiding Rombalds District leaders organised an outdoor four hour ‘Big Fairtrade Breakfast’ event at Ilkley bandstand. Free Fairtrade hot chocolate, orange and apple juice were on offer, as well as freshly cooked pancakes with a range of Fairtrade toppings.

Ben Rhydding Community Choir

The drinks, bananas and pancake ingredients were kindly donated by the Co-op, M&S, Booths, Tesco and Greggs. There was a rolling programme of bandstand entertainment featuring The White Rose Chorus, Ben Rhydding Primary School choir, Ben Rhydding Community Choir, Leeds Briggate Morris dancers and a local saxophonist. Traidcraft items were on sale and the Ilkley Co-op manager raffled a hamper of Co-op Fairtrade goods. £400 was raised from breakfast donations and the hamper raffle, and was sent to a Fairtrade project in Kenya helping women earn an independent income from coffee farming. The funds went to this specific project to mark International Women’s Day and highlight the work that Fairtrade does to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Two local churches organised Fairtrade breakfasts during Fairtrade Fortnight, and Ilkley Fairtrade Group had one of the community stalls at the inaugural ‘Real Food Ilkley’ market on Sunday 6th March. The new market was a great success and provided the opportunity to explain how Fairtrade and local go hand in hand, helping support farmers both near and far.
Karen Palframan, Ilkley Fairtrade Group

BAILDON BIG FAIRTRADE BREAKFAST

More than 60 Fairtrade breakfasts were served in St John’s Church Hall, Baildon, on Saturday 19 March. Children from the uniformed groups had decorated paper plates with a Fairtrade breakfast and these were hung along Fairtrade bunting around the hall. Tables were set with Fairtrade products donated by the Co-op, marmalade made by members, and locally produced milk and butter.

Naturally some children brought along their parents to see their plates and a warm welcome was provided. All expressed their pleasure in the breakfast and seven people expressed an interest in joining the local Fairtrade group.

This event was also an opportunity for Baildon Friends of the Earth and Fairtrade Group to work together to communicate our shared concern for the world-wide issue of sustainability – protecting the environment and tackling climate change. A superb display on Fairtrade and the Sustainability Goals was on show as well as a Fairtrade stall.

Thanks to the generosity of the Co-op, Baildon Fairtrade Group has been able to send £160 to the Traidcraft Exchange fund. An enjoyable and successful event raised funds to support producer projects around the world.

BRADFORD CATHEDRAL CELEBRATES FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT
SUNDAY MARCH 6th

With sunlight streaming through the West Window, 54 people sat down to enjoy a Fairtrade Breakfast, as well as locally produced milk, butter, bread and honey.

Following the morning Eucharist service, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Joanne Dodds, cut a Fairtrade chocolate cake to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bradford Fairtrade Zone. The Lord Mayor endorsed the decision of the Council meeting on 19th January this year, when it was overwhelmingly agreed that Bradford Council should renew the commitment to Fairtrade.

BIG FAIRTRADE BREAKFAST
HELD BY BRADFORD FAIRTRADE ZONE and M&S
29th Feb. 2016

Business and community leaders met for a networking and information Fairtrade breakfast hosted by M&S in their Broadway store café. Presentations on Fairtrade and the Bradford Fairtrade Zone were given by Mike de Villiers and Karen Palframan, and the commitment of M&S to support, through Fairtrade, their producer communities was given by Chris Farren, M&S operations manager. Councillor Adrian Farley, the leader of a renewed commitment by Bradford M.D.C. to support Fairtrade and Bradford Fairtrade Zone, expressed his pleasure at the success of the venture in raising awareness at a venue in the city centre.

Watch the Fairtrade Fortnight video from M&S.

Baildon Fairtrade Town Stall in Northgate Co-op, Baildon, West Yorks, Friday March 4th.

A Fairtrade Breakfast display and samples of chocolate engaged shoppers to discuss the benefits of Fairtrade. As well as signing up to hold their own Fairtrade Breakfast, many shoppers came back to the stall to show us what Fairtrade products they had purchased for the first time. We registered 645 Fairtrade Breakfasts, the number including many shoppers who would be having a Fairtrade Breakfast each morning for the rest of the Fortnight.

Faith leaders were leading the way at Leeds’ Merrion Centre on Thursday 3rd March with the holding of a Fairtrade breakfast.

The Breakfast table looked very festive, with the banners and balloons and lots of shoppers paused to see what was going on.

There was a display of Fairtrade items for sale from the local Morrisons and also a display of Fairtrade items from the Beehive, the local Fairtrade shop.
Leaders from all faiths in Leeds were invited.  Amongst the attendees pictured are Bishop Paul Slater, Esther Hugenholtz, Krystal Holms, Gurmukh Singh, Usha Bhardwaj, Mr Birdi and Ashraf Hamad. It was lovely for everyone to mix and chat and at the same time have a grand breakfast.

Children have also been taking a lead in Leeds.

Schools from across West Yorkshire celebrated Fairtrade by designing and delivering their own workshops at a special event at Leeds Civic Hall on Friday March 4th.

The event, organised by Leeds Development Education Centre and Fairtrade Leeds is part of a wider national programme which aims to raise awareness of the millions of farmers and workers struggling to feed themselves and their families, while supplying our breakfast tables with food and drink, such as bananas, cocoa and coffee.

Fabian Hamilton MP presented schools with Global Learning Charter certificates, for work on valuing Global Learning within school. Greg Mulholland MP presented Bala footballs to students from local schools and then gave a short speech in which he encouraged local sports teams, such as Leeds Rhinos to use Fairtrade sports equipment. Greg congratulated Fairtrade as an organisation for branching out beyond food to other sustainable products, such as the Fairtrade footballs and Rugby balls.

Last week Greg highlighted the importance of Fairtrade Fortnight in the House of Commons by tabling an Early Day Motion (EDM 1137) welcoming Fairtrade Fortnight 2016.

Commenting, Greg Mulholland MP said:

“I really enjoyed attending this fantastic event, which was very well organised by Leeds Development Education Centre. It is important that young people especially are encouraged to learn about Fairtrade produce and where their food comes from. As the consumers of the future, they have the power to change Britain’s buying habits.

It is terrible that the people we all depend on to grow food are not able to feed themselves and their families. Fairtrade do excellent work supporting these people, but more must be done to support the hundreds of millions of people going hungry across the world.”

Also commenting on the event, Hannah Langdana of the Leeds Development Education centre said:

“It was a fantastic event with children from across the city creating and delivering wonderful, hands on workshops on Fairtrade . It is another important step in making Leeds a Child Friendly City, where awareness about children’s rights locally and globally is raised. ”

The Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales are holding another poster competition ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight 2016. Simply design an A4 poster promoting a Fairtrade Breakfast – and remember to include the Fairtrade Mark!

This competition is open to individuals, schools, colleges and groups of all ages within the Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales, which covers Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Ripon and Wakefield (see a map of the Diocese here). The closing date is March 21st.

Prizes will be awarded in three Age-groups: Pre-School & Primary School Age, Secondary School Age, and Adults (18+). To enter, scan the original artwork and email it to Tina Walker at tinalet@hotmail.com. The name of the artist, their age-group and their organisation should be written on the artwork, so that each piece is clearly identifiable.

Certificates & Fairtrade Mini-hampers will be awarded to the winners. Read more at the Diocese website.

Horsforth has become Yorkshire’s newest Fairtrade Town.  The town on the north western edge of Leeds fulfilled all five goals in order to be awarded Fairtrade status.  The Fairtrade Town campaign, coordinated by Baptist Minister, Rev Matt Wright, engaged with all sections of the community, including community groups, workplaces, businesses and the local media.

Horsforth campaign group at the Farmers’ Market

The Town Council was supportive and Councillor Janice Pritlove acted as the Council’s representative on the Fairtrade Steering Group that campaigned to achieve the status.  Churches Together in Horsforth also took up the baton to help the town to make this amazing achievement.  Many events were held in the run up to the status being awarded, including regular stalls at the Horsforth Farmers’ Market.  Matt Wright’s culinary skills were put to the test at a pancake making event and local MP Stuart Andrew came to the market to support the Fairtrade campaign.

Rev Matt Wright

Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, Mark Dawson, congratulated Matt and the group on their success.  “I know how much work has gone into this campaign and Matt and the team deserve to be thanked for everything they have done to make Horsforth a Fair Trade Town.  Horsfordians have reason to be thoroughly proud.”

The Church of England Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales – which covers Huddersfield, Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford and Ripon – is running a poster competition open to anyone living in the diocese.

Simply design an A4 poster in any medium advertising Fairtrade chocolate or Fairtrade cocoa.

Certificates & Fairtrade Easter Eggs will be awarded to the winners in 3 age-group categories:

• Adults (18+)
• Secondary School Age
• Pre-School & Primary School Age

To enter, scan the original artwork and email the image to Tina Walker at tinalet@hotmail.com. The name of the artist and their age-group should be written on the artwork, so that each piece is clearly identifiable.

Winners will be notified by email and asked to provide their original artwork for the Prize Presentation and Press

The closing date is 15 March 2015

The website of the Church of England Diocese of West Yorkshire and the Dales is at http://www.westyorkshiredales.anglican.org/

International World Fair Trade Day (10th May) was celebrated in York with the holding of a Fair Trade market in the city’s Parliament Street.  A wide range of Fairtrade food and beverages was on sale, alongside fairly traded crafts, clothes, jewellery and accessories.  Local Fair Traders included: Fairer World, Alligator wholefoods, York Scarves and Peruvian Kids.

York Fair Trade Market

On the following day, a Fair Trade service was held at St. Lawrence’s church to mark the 10th anniversary of York as Fairtrade City.  Fr. Tim Jones lead the service and Sue Maskill of York Fair Trade Forum introduced the confession with the words of Martin Luther King.  Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, Mark Dawson, gave the address and talked about his research at the University of Leeds which is focussed on church action on Fair Trade.

The Fair Trade service at St. Lawrence’s.

Following the service worshippers enjoyed a celebration in the church hall with refreshment and cakes and a chance to operate a pedal powered smoothie maker.

Church Warden, Clive House, Development Officer,Louise O’Brien and Vicar, Rev Paul Shackerley.

Senior staff at Doncaster Minster expressed their support for Fairtrade Doncaster.  The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is very active in its promotion of Fairtrade and towards the end of 2013 a new Fairtrade Borough Steering Group was set up to support work with businesses, schools, Doncaster College, faith and community groups.

Coordinator of Fairtrade Yorkshire, Mark Dawson, met with the Vicar of the Minster, Paul Shackerley, and members of his team, to discuss the role of the churches and Fairtrade in Doncaster Borough.

Mark commented ‘It was great to meet the team at the Minster which plays a strong role in the life of the town.  Fairtrade  Doncaster has gone from strength to strength and it is always a pleasure to visit the town.  It is important that Fairtrade has a strong presence here, not least because Doncaster is such a significant retail “hotspot.”

Mark Dawson, a PhD student at the University of Leeds, is set to undertake an important study of Fair trade activism by churches.

Mark is part of the subject area of Theology and Religious Studies which has a long standing focus on understanding the role of religion in  local communities.

The study will focus on two Yorkshire communities and will look at how the churches in those areas connect with the wider public through their action in support of Fair Trade.

Mark Dawson (right) with the Archbishop of York

Mark will interview churchgoers and listen to their opinions on how churches relate to their local communities in their work on Fair Trade, including their relationship to: the Fairtrade Towns movement, local businesses, politicians, community groups, other faith groups and the general public.

The churchgoers will also be asked about how their work on Fair Trade relates to their own  faith.

The study will take three years to complete and will make a significant contribution to the body of research on Fair Trade activism.

The University of Leeds is a Fairtrade University and the flagship employer for the Yorkshire Fairtrade Region.

Beeston Gurdwara

The Sikh temple Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha Leeds was presented with the ‘Best Outreach and Networking award’ by Fairtrade Foundation CEO, Michael Gidney, at the national Fairtrade Supporter Conference in London on 5th October.

The award recognises the achievements and creativity of Fairtrade campaigners and supporters during the first half of 2013, including the Fairtrade Fortnight campaign.

In Leeds, during Fairtrade Fortnight, members of GNNSJ-Leeds organised a number of events in which they showcased Fairtrade products and talked to the local community about Fairtrade.  They created their own material to highlight the links between the Fairtrade ethos and the Sikh faith and were involved in events such as: a national football tournament, a local lifestyle event and a wide range of activities at the Gurdwara.

Adam Gardner, competition judge and Communities Campaigns Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation said:

‘It’s a tough task picking winners from the vast amount of inspiring community action for Fairtrade across the UK. Each entry demonstrated the creativity, hard work and vision that epitomises the Fairtrade movement, and continues to bring about a better deal for more farmers and workers through selling their products as Fairtrade. 

The winners demonstrated these qualities in abundance, and we are looking forward already to see how they and other groups continue to build the movement for fairer trade in their communities in the coming year and beyond.’