Please join us on 23rd February for the Rutland Fairtrade Webinar from 7pm until 8pm

The webinar is being hosted by the Rutland Fairtrade Forum and will feature two guest speakers:

• Caroline Collins, who works in the Commercial partnerships at the Fairtrade Foundation. Caroline will explain why climate change was chosen as the theme for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, as well as sharing news on Fairtrade developments involving the UK’s leading supermarket chains.
• Emma Brown from Land Girls, a local Rutland business that works with two co-operatives of female coffee growers, in South America and Indonesia. Emma will talk about why it was important to choose Fairtrade producers when selecting suppliers for her new Land Girls business, as well as providing an insight into the particular challenges faced by women farmers.

In addition to listening to our two excellent speakers, there will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions on any topics relating to Fairtrade.

Fairtrade Fortnight Starts Today!

The Uppingham Co-op is running two competitions during Fairtrade Fortnight: a children’s colouring competition and a family cooking competition. More details are available from the store, or you can Download the pack

Volunteers Needed!

The Rutland Fairtrade Forum organises events aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of Fairtrade and encourages businesses, schools and organisations in Rutland to actively support Fairtrade.  We are seeking volunteers in the following areas:

• Publicity and marketing
• Website and social media
• Liaison with local businesses
• Coordination of activities with local schools
• Retail distribution

Volunteers need to be able to commit just 2  to 3 hours per month.  For more information please contact David Lewis at rutlandfairtrade@gmail.com

Big Brew Update

As part of Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 the Rutland Fairtrade Forum held a Big Brew at the Methodist Church in Oakham on Saturday 29 February.

The themes for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight were cocoa and a living income, with a particular focus on the role that women play in the production of cocoa. Visitors to the Big Brew enjoyed a film titled “Guardians of the Rainforest” which illustrates the links between Fairtrade and sustainable production. The film featured a project in Sierra Leone, funded by the RSPB and Comic Relief, which has enabled small cocoa farmers to come together and form a Fairtrade co-operative. In addition to helping the farmers and workers to earn a decent living by selling their cocoa on Fairtrade terms, the project also involves practical measures to enable local people to take ownership of protecting the rainforest. Separate areas of rainforest have been joined together, with cocoa farms acting as a protective buffer, providing corridors for birds and other wildlife to travel safely.

A total of £250 raised by the Rutland Fairtrade Forum during Fairtrade Fortnight has been donated to Traidcraft Exchange, in support of the charity’s life-changing work with marginalised farmers, artisans and workers in developing countries. Sam Asplin of Grantham won the “Coffee Boffins” prize quiz at the Big Brew.

Anyone interested in supporting Fairtrade in Rutland is invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Rutland Fairtrade Forum on Tuesday 7 April, at 7:30pm in the Methodist Church in Oakham.  For more information please contact rutlandfairtrade@gmail.com

 

Take shelter from the rain and join us for a warming brew – Happening NOW!

As part of its plans for Fairtrade Fortnight 2020, the Rutland Fairtrade Forum will be hosting a Big Brew. Come along to learn about the latest Fairtrade campaigns. There will be films from the Fairtrade Foundation and a quiz. Fairtrade drinks and home made cakes will be served, with all monies raised donated to Traidcraft Exchange.

Saturday 29 February, 10am to 12 noon, Big Brew at the Methodist Church in Northgate (LE15 6QS)

As part of its plans for Fairtrade Fortnight 2020, the Rutland Fairtrade Forum will be hosting a Big Brew. Come along to learn about the latest Fairtrade campaigns. There will be films from the Fairtrade Foundation and a quiz. Fairtrade drinks and home made cakes will be served, with all monies raised donated to Traidcraft Exchange.

Saturday 29 February, 10am to 12 noon, Big Brew at the Methodist Church in Northgate (LE15 6QS)

As part of its plans for Fairtrade Fortnight 2020, the Rutland Fairtrade Forum will be hosting a Big Brew. Come along to learn about the latest Fairtrade campaigns. There will be films from the Fairtrade Foundation and a quiz. Fairtrade drinks and home made cakes will be served, with all monies raised donated to Traidcraft Exchange.

Get Ready for Fairtrade Fortnight!

24th Feb to 8th March 2020

Fairtrade Recipe Book

Thank you for your support!

The Rutland Fairtrade Christmas Market attracted over 750 visitors to Oakham Castle on Saturday. The event was organised by the Rutland Fairtrade Forum with support from the Rutland Youth Council.

Photos here

Councillor Kenneth Bool, Chairman of Rutland County Council opened the market and spoke enthusiastically about the ways in which Fairtrade helps producers in the developing world to use trade as a means of lifting themselves out of poverty. There are now more than 1.6 million farmers benefitting from Fairtrade, in over 70 countries. The guarantee of receiving a fair price their produce enables workers to afford things that we in the UK take for granted, such as being able to send their children to school.

Councillor Bool specifically thanked the stallholders who had travelled from across the East Midlands to be at the event in Oakham, emphasising the vital role they play both in promoting Fairtrade and in connecting consumers in the UK with producers in the developing world. Councillor Bool also thanked the visitors to the market for supporting Fairtrade. By choosing Fairtrade, consumers in Rutland and across the country have helped to turn the UK into the world’s leading market for Fairtrade products, with annual sales exceeding £1.7 billion. Councillor Bool also thanked everyone involved with Fairtrade in Rutland for their efforts in ensuring that Rutland recently retained its status as a Fairtrade County.

A charity raffle raised £130 for Dementia UK and “Send a cow”. Mrs Gooding of Manton won the first prize of a Fairtrade hamper.

Happening Right Now!