Come along to Arnold Civic Centre on Wednesday 12th November , 7.30pm to share ideas for activities for Fairtrade Fortnight 2009.

This is an informal meeting open to anyone with an interest in Fairtrade and who may want to do something during this fortnight at their business, workplace, school, church or community group. There will be Fairtrade wine and beer as well soft drinks for us to enjoy whilst we share ideas for a really successful fortnight.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2009, which takes place from Monday 23rd February to Saturday 7th March, is a time for us to get involved and raise awareness of Fairtrade. There will be activities and events happening up and down the UK and it will be a great opportunity for you to help raise awareness among the residents of Gedling and show how you support Fairtrade in our borough.

Activities could be as simple as giving a fairtrade leaflet to customers and work colleagues or as ambitious as a glamorous Fairtrade fashion show or Fairtrade roadshow with free Fairtrade chocolate tasting. I’m sure you’ll have lots more ideas so come along and tell us about them.

Even if you cannot make the meeting on 12th November, please keep us informed of any planned activities and we will publicise them here on our website for everyone to see.

With your help we can make Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 in Gedling an event to remember!

We’ll look forward to seeing you there.

The Gedling Fairtrade Group ran a Fairtrade stall at the Gedling Show on Sunday 31st August.

The Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Morrison’s donated some of the Fairtrade items they currently have on sale: tea, coffee, drinking chocolate, chocolate, sugar, rice, honey, jam, biscuits, wine, oranges, pineapple, apples, pears, bananas, mango, T-shirts.  We were able to make an impressive display which attracted a lot of attention and gave us the chance to talk to members of the public about Fairtrade in general and what is available to local people doing their weekly shop.

We had a short questionnaire asking how much each person knew about Fairtrade  and whether they regularly purchase Fairtrade goods.  We completed 70 questionnaires during the day.  Since we usually talked to couples or to family groups, we talked to more than 200 people during the show.  At the end of the day, from the box of completed questionnaires, we pulled out two and shared the goods on display between them.  The winners were Cheryl Jones of Basford and Linda Gallagher of Carlton, who were delighted to receive their prizes.

The results showed that most people recognise the Fairtrade Mark and an increasing number are buying Fairtrade goods regularly.  86% of people recognised the Mark and most were aware of the meaning of Fairtrade.   More than half could think of between two and five Fairtrade items and more than a quarter mentioned six or more.  28% bought one Fairtrade item regularly (usually tea, coffee, chocolate or bananas), 37% bought between two and five items and 9% bought more than five items regularly.

Spotting the Mayor of Gedling, Councillor Richard Goodwin, on a tour of the Craft tent, one of our volunteers seized the chance to go through the questionnaire with him.  We were delighted to discover that he buys between two and five Fairtrade items on a regular basis, setting an excellent example to the residents of Gedling Borough!

A big congratulations goes out to Susan Elwood of Sherwood who won the bag of Fairtrade goodies from our Arnold Carnival prize draw!

Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey and prize draw and and an even bigger thank you to all of you who support Fairtrade.

Here’s a picture of Susan receiving her prize:

The Gedling Fairtrade Group joined in the celebrations at Arnold Carnival this weekend to raise awareness about Fairtrade and our campaign to gain Fairtrade Town Status for Gedling Borough.

There were Fairtrade goods on display, information available and delicious Fairtrade chocolate to sample.

We also conducted a short survey with our stall visitors to find out how much the residents of Gedling Borough know about Fairtrade. Although we haven’t yet collated the results it was encouraging to learn that lots of people are aware of Fairtrade, how it benefits producers and how many products they buy on a regular basis.

Those who helped us with our survey were also entered into a prize draw to win some lovely Fairtrade goodies including chocolate, wine and coffee to name just a few items - more on that later. Watch this space!

The Gedling Fairtrade Group will be at this year’s Arnold Carnival taking place at Arnot Hill Park on Saturday 2.00pm – 10.30pm Sunday 11.00am – 10.00pm

Come along to find out more about Fairtrade, the types of Fairtrade goods you can buy and Fairtrade Town status for Gedling.

Whilst you’re there check out some of the other carnival attractions including the fun dog show, craft marquee, table top activities for children and the The Battle of Britain Dakota memorial flypast on Sunday.

Visit the Gedling Borough Council website for more information.

We’ll look forward to meeting you there!

On 2008’s extra day many Notts people gathered at the Nottingham Council House to show their support for Fairtrade by joining in on the Fairtrade Fits 2008 event.

The event was a great success with various businesses and organisation holding information and retail stalls. There was beautiful Fairtrade jewellery and clothing on sale as well as skincare products, food and gifts. Plus free Fairtrade tea, coffee and juice was flowing all day!

Gideon Gilbert, a banana farmer from St Vincent visiting Nottingham took part in the event and strutted his stuff on the catwalk in the Fairtrade Fashion show.

There was also music and a performance by local Fairtrade campaigners which you can watch here:

Gideon Gilbert is a Fairtrade banana farmer from St. Vincent in the Windward Islands who has been brought to the UK by the Fairtrade Foundation for Fairtrade Fortnight. He spent the whole of the day on Wednesday 27th February touring the Borough in support of our campaign for Fairtrade status.

He began the day at 9.30am at Sainsbury’s in Arnold where he looked at their display of bananas, which are now all Fairtrade. He was able to pick out bags of bananas which had come from the Windward Islands.

At 10.20 he was at Killisick Junior School, where he spoke to an assembly. He showed a powerpoint presentation which he used to explain to pupils what it is like to work on a banana farm. He then described how the farmers use the Fairtrade premium which they receive on top of the price paid for the bananas. It is spent on roads to allow better access to farms, on supporting pre-school education and sport in schools and on scholarships at secondary level. He then answered questions from the pupils.

At 11.30 he was at Colonel Frank Seely School in Calverton, where he met pupil representatives from the steering group which is driving the school’s campaign to become a Fairtrade School. They explained to him how they study Fairtrade in lessons, organise taster sessions, put up posters and displays, talk to parents and friends about the importance of Fairtrade, use the Fairtrade logo as the screensaver on their computers and have strong links with the local Co-operative store. Gideon then talked to them about growing bananas. ‘Fairtrade has transformed my life’ he told them.

He then sat in on a Year 7 drama lesson, where the pupils talked about Fairtrade and then, in groups, mimed how bananas are grown, prepared, shipped and delivered to us in the UK. Great fun to watch a line of seven pupils repeating gestures over and over again to convey the whole process! A very enjoyable and imaginative lesson!

After lunch at the school he went to Plantations Coffee Shop in Arnold, where, over a drink, he talked with Tina Bradley, the proprietor, about banana growing. He used a photograph of a banana farm damaged by a hurricane to explain what then had to be done to help the farm recover.

At 4pm he met the Mayor of Gedling, Councillor Jenny Spencer, in the foyer of the Civic Centre. They were photographed together at the Fairtrade display set up for Fairtrade Fortnight by the Gedling Fairtrade Group. He was shown the Council Chamber and was able to talk to the Mayor about his life as a Fairtrade banana farmer.

We are very grateful indeed to Gideon who, through his visit, has given a boost to our campaign for Fairtrade status for Gedling Borough and made us all the more determined to achieve it as soon as possible!

Report by Allan Leadbeater

If you want to know all about Fairtrade then pop over to Arnold Civic Centre where you can find our Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 display.

There you will find leaflets and information on Fairtrade products and where to buy them, details of the Gedling fairtrade Group and more. Whilst you’re there have a taste of some yummy Fairtrade chocolate.

Don’t forget the Fairtrade Fits event on Friday 29th February at the Council House on Market Square!

A business show is to be held in the Ballroom of The Nottingham City Council House on Friday 29th February.

There will be musicians playing at the front of The Council House and a variety of stalls in the Ballroom from organisations who sell or support Fairtrade. Free drinks and samples of Fairtrade foods are available throughout the day. The event is called Fairtrade Fits as we believe businesses and individuals can fit Fairtrade products into their sales, staff and customer refreshment facilities and personal use.

Itinary for the day:
11am Stalls and samples (all day)
12 – 2pm Musicians playing for 20 minute intervals.
1pm Fashion Show
5pm Light Refreshments available
5.30 – 6.15 Fashion Show
6.30 – 7.15 Speakers & Question Time Debate

Free Tea and Coffee provided by Petina.

Stalls: Traidcraft, Petina, Peros, Palestinian Crafts, Co-op, Iguazu, Oxfam Jewellry, Pixie Fashions, Sainsbury’s. M & S and Tesco to confirm.

Information Stands: Christian Aid, Amnesty, Shared Interest.

Question Time: A panel of speakers from a range of organisations will present a brief outline of their knowledge and involvement with Fairtrade and then field questions from the audience. A Banana Farmer from The Windward islands and Volunteer from Fairtrade Foundation will be interviewed and take questions.

Leap into Fairtrade - Use your extra day to make a difference.

Information provided by Nottingham International Development Forum Fairtrade Working Group

Contact Susan Day at susan@fairtradefits.org  for more details.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 runs from 25th February to 9th March this year. There will be many events and activities taking place all over the country to celebrate and raise awareness about Fairtrade.

In Gedling, there will be a display in the Arnold Civic Centre providing information about Fairtrade, the Gedling Group and how you can get involved.

Leading up to Fairtrade Fortnight Nottingham Oxfam Group and Gedling Fairtrade Group will be holding a stall in Arnold Sainsbury’s on Saturday 23rd February. Come along and say hello, get some information about Fairtrade and help spread the word!

If you’re holding a Fairtrade Fortnight event and want to tell us about it or would like to know more about us just get in touch.

For more information about Fairtrade and National Fairtrade Fortnight activities visit the Fairtrade Foundation website.