Great excitement this year as not only did we say ‘Come on In to Fairtrade’ but also celebrated our 15th Birthday as a Fairtrade Village!
Two fabulous Fairtrade Birthday cakes were ceremonially cut and shared at the Fairtrade breakfast after a delicious feast produced by farmers from Fairtrade co-operatives and from Yorkshire.
The place was abuzz with over 80 happy breakfasters keeping the volunteers very busy. Choices of Fairtrade coffee and Yorkshire bacon butties in home baked rolls went down very well. Milk donated by Cherry View and coffee donated by Percol was much appreciated and enabled us to donate over £200 to the Fairtrade Foundation from this event alone.
Businesses, organisations and a wide variety of village groups embraced the ‘Come On In to Fairtrade’ theme in a variety of ways:-
The village shop had a special Fairtrade display and increased its range of Fairtrade products. The ‘Bay Horse’ went all out for Fairtrade with Fairtrade displays, balloons, bunting, and a menu featuring Fairtrade desserts. They also held a Fairtrade coffee morning and raffle as a fund raiser for Fairtrade adding significantly to the collecting box that had been on the bar during the Fortnight. Customers at ‘I Love Kitchens’ were invited to ‘Come On In’ with Fairtrade tea, coffee and cookies.
Cherry Burton Primary School started the Fortnight with a whole school assembly on Where Our Food Comes From’ and Fairtrade. This included serving a breakfast to a teacher and pupil and finding out where Fairtrade products come from on a map with the help of pupils.
Children imagined they lived in Malawi and found out what a difference Fairtrade had made to sugar farmers and their families. Fairtrade featured in classroom activities during the Fortnight and parents were also invited to ‘Come On In to Fairtrade’.
Pre-school had a week of activities including Fairtrade baking and a Fairtrade banana picnic. Parents enjoyed a Fairtrade coffee morning and the village Fair Trade stall was invited. Tasters of Divine Chocolate went down well!
Lots of Fairtrade eating and drinking went on all over the village alongside displays and information! The baking table at Messy Church saw children relishing the Fairtrade buns they had decorated. Cherry Tots and their parents and carers enjoyed Fairtrade buns.
Guides had Fairtrade refreshments as did Friendship Circle, Cherry Makewells, and the Courtyard sewing group. Rainbows invited their parents in to Fairtrade coffee and tea. They had remembered a lot about Fairtrade from the school assembly and enjoyed playing a game with Fairtrade sweets before sharing them out and eating them! Parents’ donations for refreshments were included in the village total of £300 sent to the Fairtrade Foundation for their work helping more farmers into Fairtrade.
Worship and sermons focussed on Fairtrade issues at St Michael’s church. This is a Fairtrade church which hosts the village Fair Trade stall on Sunday mornings after the morning service when everyone is relaxing and chatting over Fairtrade coffee and tea in the Centre. This year the Rector ran an additional evening taking ‘A Closer Look at Fairtrade’ in the Centre with Fairtrade tasters – coffee, tea, chocolate, nuts, banana chips, raisins and apricots.
Members of the Fairtrade group, as representatives of Fairtrade East Riding Network, were invited to Saltend Chemicals restaurant to see their Fairtrade display. They were treated to a meal while explaining their plans for the future which included baking sets of Fairtrade cakes to be sold in presentation boxes for Mothers’ Day, the final day of Fairtrade Fortnight.
Groups that didn’t hold an event during Fairtrade Fortnight, including the monthly Village Hall Coffee Morning, featured Fairtrade when they met.
The above is a round- up of just some of the Fairtrade activities the steering group got to hear of.
Much of the village integrates Fairtrade year-round. It is this widespread engagement with and support of Fairtrade that has enabled Cherry Burton to continue to be a Fairtrade Village since 2003.
