This was held on the Sunday of Hay Winter Festival in the Buttermarket, and a lot of regular supporters were there - like Love Zimbabwe, Zaytoun, Tools for Self Reliance, Hay2Timbuktu and Jump4Timbuktu.
At 2pm, a minute's silence was held for the 27 people who drowned in the Channel as they attempted to reach the UK.
The weather was not summery. In fact, it rained rather a lot. I was so cold I went over to the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Refugees stall which was selling jumble as well as tea, coffee and cakes, and bought a jumper that I put on straight away! Their lemon drizzle cake and coffee was also very good. Their stall made £491.45, which they are going to use for phone top-ups, hardship needs and their welcome day in mid-August.
At the other end of the Buttermarket were Tools For Self Reliance, who seemed to be doing a good trade in refurbished tools, and tools made by blacksmiths in Tanzania. Then there was Fair and Fabulous, selling bags and toys and re-usable containers. Zaytoun were selling olive oil and other produce from Palestine, and Jump4Timbuktu had silver and leather goods from Tuareg craftsmen in Timbuktu, including a leather chest that looked as if it should be full of treasure!
Then there were local crafts - some beautiful grey pottery, baby clothes from Utopia Designs, and me as the representative of the local Stitch and Bitch group, selling embroideries and paper art.
I was very grateful to the young couple on the Utopia Designs stall, who let me use the chair they'd brought with them - I can't stand all day like I used to be able to!
It's been a strange year since I last posted, and of course no real life events could be arranged for Fairtrade Fortnight this year.
However, Fairtrade Fortnight is still going ahead virtually from February 22nd to March 7th. The theme this year is Climate Justice.
Fairtrade Wales are holding a Climate Change Coffee Morning on Saturday February 27th from 11am to noon via Zoom, to talk about climate change and to hear from Jennipher, a coffee farmer in Uganda. Her coffee is grown on the slopes of Mt Elgon in Uganda and roasted in Wales, and is both organic and Fairtrade. Tickets are free, and there is also an opportunity to buy some of Jennipher's coffee before the event.
On Thursday March 4th, from 7pm to 8.30pm, there will be a panel discussion organised by Swansea Fair Trade Forum on Climate Justice for a Fairer World.
Tickets and more information are available from the Fairtrade Wales website.
