Wimborne Minster - A Fair Trade Town

This is the logo celebrating the achievement of Wimborne being declared a Fairtrade Town on 20th February 2006 an initiative that began with churches locally and ended with the wider community owning this ideal. Wimborne Minster itself has been a Fairtrade Church for some time. In widening the appeal further a steering group was set up through Churches Together in Wimborne aimed at drawing together all parts of the community. The Mayor was an early joiner on behalf of the Town Council, alongside students and staff from Queen Elizabeth’s School, and representatives of East Dorset District Council, the Chamber of Trade, a GP Surgery, Salmon Credit Union and others.

To achieve Fairtrade Town status, there had to be evidence that a certain % of all shops, cafes, community organisations and businesses supported Fairtrade principles, selling, serving or using Fairtrade tea/coffee and other goods, as well as Wimborne Minster Town Council passing a resolution supporting Fairtrade. In our affluent part of the world, such support sends important signals about the needs of the Third World, and does something practical about it. The guaranteed prices for over 5 million farmers, workers and their families in 49 countries shows the benefits from the international Fairtrade system. It continues the principles of the Make Poverty History campaign and maintains public awareness on this important subject.

So, where are we now, a year later?..............More cafes are serving Fairtrade tea and coffee………..More shops are stocking Fairtrade goods………More churches are becoming Fairtrade Churches…………….it’s a continuing journey!

Look out for the WIMBORNE FAIRTRADE DIRECTORY which is being launched this month, and which tells you which shops and cafes are Fairtrade stockists. It’s conveniently produced in a postcard format and is free of charge! It is sponsored by the East Dorset Community Partnership, an organisation that assists community groups trying to make a difference in East Dorset.

So, what next................Do you make sure you purchase Fairtrade goods? ………………..Do you ask in your supermarket if you cannot find such goods? ……………..It is becoming more “the thing” to do, thus the big retail outlets are increasingly marketing Fairtrade goods. There is a long way to go, but the journey is a positive one. To find out more, the web-site, www.fairtrade.org.uk is an excellent source of information or write to:

The Fairtrade Foundation
Room 204,
16, Baldwin's Gardens,
London
EC1N 7RJ
Telephone: 020 7405 5942

or give Richard Bush of Wimborne Fairtrade Steering Group a call on 01202-882697

FAIRTRADE ensures that farmers and other workers in the developing world get a better deal. By buying FAIRTRADE you can make a difference to the lives of thousands of producers and their families. It is a simple act with far reaching effects.

These shops and cafes in Wimborne Minster support FAIRTRADE and sell or serve FAIRTRADE goods.

Shops

• TWC Fairtraders, The Cornmarket
• Spill the Beans, West Street
• Somerfield, Crown Mead
• Julian Graves, The Square
• Oxfam, Crown Mead
• Sandwich Fare, Hight Street

Cafes

• Coffee Pots, High Street
• The Laughing Pot, West Borough
• Methodist Church, King Street
• Dorset Coffee Company, Wimborne Market
• The Cloisters, East Street