Welcome!

Welcome to the Official Site of Hay-on-Wye's Fairtrade Group.
We are now in our second year of official Fairtrade status (which is to say, we're waiting to hear from the adjudicators at the Fairtrade Foundation).

So, what's this Fairtrade thing all about?

The Fairtrade Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarentee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal.
They pay a price to producers that covers the costs of sustainable living and production.
They pay a premium that producers can invest in development.
They make partial advance payments when requested by producers.
They sign contracts that allow for long term planning and sustainable production practices.

The criteria for Fairtrade Towns is as follows:
The local council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in offices and canteens.
A range of Fairtrade products must be readily available in the area's shops and served in local cafes and catering establishments (targets are set in relation to population - for Hay this means one of each).
Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local work places (estate agents, hairdressers etc.) and community organisations (churches, schools, etc.).
Media coverage and popular support for the campaign must be attracted.
A local Fairtrade steering group must be convened to ensure continued commitment to Fairtrade status (that's us!)

Why is is good for Hay?
No Publicity is Bad Publicity! The Fairtrade status helps to promote Hay as a small town with an outward vision and a vision for a more sustainable future.
It helps promote Hay as a caring community - somewhere worth visiting (and not just when the Festival is on!). Although the Festival is getting greener by the year.

We put on events throughout the year - coming up is our Christmas Fair on Saturday 19th December in the Buttermarket. It was wonderfully successful last year and we hope this year will be as good!
The big occasion in the calendar is Fairtrade Fortnight, a national event at the end of February, and we have some good ideas for that too.
We also have a Directory of all the shops and businesses that sell or use Fairtrade products.

In addition to the Fairtrade products, we support local produce. We can't grow bananas or coffee here in Wales, but there are plenty of local farmers who need and deserve our support.