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Friday 20th February 2009, Alcester Standard

Campaigners bid to win Fairtrade status, by Lianne Cooper

Campaigners in Alcester are urging residents, business owners and schools to get behind them in their bid to gain Fairtrade satus for the town.

The Alcester Fairtrade Town Campaign was set up in September last year and the organisers behind it are now looking to members of the community to help make their dreams a reality.

The group already has the support of the town council, plus interest from a number of schools and local organisations - part of the criteria needed.

Now it needs to ensure Fairtrade products are more widely available at retailers, cafes, retsurants and wholesalers and encourage use in the workplace, schools and other organisations.

Group leader Katherine Long said making Alcester a Fairtrade town would help strengthen the community while also achieving a worthwhile goal.

'I fully support the ideas of Fairtrade and after Stratford gained the status, I thought, why not get to work on Alcester, especially as the support of Stratford District Council was already there.' she said.

'As a professional coach and mentor I am in the business of helping individuals to achieve challenging goals, so it makes sense for me to be engaged in a few myself.

'We really want to raise awareness of where our food comes from, and how to supoprt producers from developing countries through Fairtrade as I'm convinced that if we were to trade lives with the farmers who grow our coffee, tea, and cocoa (to name just a few products) we'd be glad to know consumers on the other side of the world cared enough for us to get a fair and stable price for our goods.'

Warwickshire county councillor  for Alcester, Nina Knapman, is also a member of the campaign, while Carol Lane, who runs Venue Xpresso on the High Street, already sells Fairtrade products to consumers.

Thursday 22nd January 2009, Redditch Advertiser

Firms are urged to buy Fairtrade, by Ben Russell

AS part of a campaign to make Alcester a Fairtrade town, businesses and organisations are being urged to buy Fairtrade.

Since starting in September last year, the campaign has been gathering momentum building a network of interested schools, businesses and other town organisations.

It has achieved one of the key criteria for becoming a Fairtrade town, which is to gain local council support, but now more needs to be done.

Katherine Long, from Alcester’s Fairtrade Town Campaign, said: “In spite of the credit crunch, there are still ways to make an impact on global poverty, and one of the easiest ways is to buy Fairtrade “Fairtrade guarantees a better deal for producers in developing countries, and the range of Fairtrade products currently available means that consumers can find one that suits their taste.

“Using Fairtrade teas and coffees is also a simple and effective way for companies to demonstrate social responsibility, even in the current economic climate.”

The campaign aims to raise awareness, availability and consistent use of Fairtrade products throughout Alcester.

Katherine added: “We’re hoping to profile organisations and businesses that use Fairtrade on our website, which will be really important evidence to support us achieving Fairtrade town status.”

To find out more about the campaign contact Katherine on info@alcester-fairtrade-town.org.uk.