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
Rutland Fairtrade 