Fairtrade Fortnight 2008
From the 25th February – 9th March 2008, Fairtrade Fortnight will be taking place. The annual two-week campaign will kick off with an action-packed event on London’s South Bank on Sunday 24th February 2008 (11am – 4pm). The two-week campaign to promotes Fairtrade products and raises awareness, will be launched with a fairground event featuring a Fairtrade tea cup ride, a towering Helter Skelter, a Fairtrade coconut shy, candyfloss made with Fairtrade sugar and a Fairtrade fortune teller.
Organised by the Fairtrade Foundation and backed by organisations, charities and businesses that support or sell Fairtrade products, the day will give visitors the opportunity to sample some of the 3,000 Fairtrade items now certified and to learn more about Trade Justice. A series of talks by Fairtrade producers from countries around the world will give visitors a chance to meet the farmers and workers behind the products, and learn first-hand the difference that Fairtrade is making to their communities.
Fairtrade Foundation Executive Director Harriet Lamb said: “We hope that people roll up to join in the fairground fun, and learn about the serious message behind Fairtrade as well. “Millions of farmers and workers are walking the delicate tightrope of international trade. When market prices wobble they risk falling into devastating poverty. Fairtrade offers them stability, so they have the confidence to look ahead and move towards a better future.”
Two new books are also hitting the shelves in time for Fairtrade Fortnight, aimed at foodies and philosophers alike. The Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook introduces a compilation of the nation’s best-loved Fairtrade recipes from chefs, celebrities and members of the public. Fighting the Banana Wars and other Fairtrade battles by Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, explores how Fairtrade has grown to become an important global movement that is revolutionising the way we shop.
You can support Fairtrade fortnight in many different ways, by attending events around the UK or shopping ethically. Waitrose is supporting Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 by offering its customers a 20% on Fairtrade food and drink items, including chocolate, sugar, fruit & nuts, coffee and wine.
For more information about Fairtrade Fortnight and the Fairtrade Foundation, visit: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/
