Hay-on-Wye Fairtrade Town

Fairtrade Fortnight Events

2012-01-14T15:13:00.002Z

We got together last night to plan what we're doing this year for Fairtrade Fortnight.
The theme this year is Take A Step, so the obvious choice was to involve the Hay Walkers - and maybe even go along on a walk! The idea is to encourage them to bring Fairtrade snacks and drinks along on the walks.
We'll also be out on Market day (hoping it isn't as horrendously windy as last year!) with a sand tray treasure finding game marked out with all the Fairtrade businesses in Hay, and a board where people can write down all their ideas for taking a step towards Fairtrade.
We're also hoping to do something in conjunction with the school, and to get all the Fairtrade businesses in Hay to put something in their windows for the Fortnight.

Fairtrade Christmas Fair

2011-12-11T18:06:00.002Z

This is the fourth year we've done a Christmas Fair - it's becoming a tradition.
We had a mix of old favourite stalls, and newcomers. Martha from Love Zimbabwe brought her new baby along, whose name means "We are blessed" - and she was so good all day.
The lady from Bagage has started a new Fairtrade group in Newcastle Emlyn.
The Ice Queen (somewhat surprisingly) managed to sell some ice cream, despite the low temperatures, and the Fairtrade Hay stall was kept busy with hot chocolate and mince pies.
We also had Hay2Timbuktu and Jump4Timbuktu, hand woven and naturally dyed goods from Chile, handicrafts from Egypt, Thailand's Karen people, and Zimele's Zulus, and Tools for Self Reliance, who deal with people in Tanzania. Athene English sent some of her fairly traded goods along too.
Our music in the morning was provided by Toby Parker, on guitar and mouth organ, a last minute stand in for the musicians who couldn't come. Toby is a regular performer at Kilvert's Open Mic nights, and also busks outside the HSBC bank in Hay.
We chose the same day as the Hay School Fair, but children came along in the afternoon (many of them with their faces painted!).

Preparing for the Christmas Fair

2011-11-15T12:53:00.002Z

The season is almost upon us, and last night the members of Fairtrade Hay sat down in the lovely little lounge in the Swan to put the final touches to the preparations for our fourth Christmas Fair.
The date is Saturday 10th December, from around 10am to dusk (around 4ish), when the world comes to Hay. We will have some old favourites like Love Zimbabwe, and some new ones like Ananuca from Peru. We've got musicians in the morning - and we were thinking of having a Father Christmas, but Hay will be awash with Father Christmas's that day (well, two of them....). We were going to borrow the Booths Bookshop Father Christmas for an hour, and there will also be one at Hay School - so we decided to do something a bit different. From 2pm onwards we are having an Ice Queen selling ice cream! We've also got the Town Cryer, and the Lady Mayor will be opening the proceedings with a speech at 11am. Hot chocolate and mince pies will be available from the Fairtrade stall. Tools for Self Reliance will be back, along with Jump4Timbuktu and Medics4Timbuktu, and fairly traded goods from all over the world.
(and we're hoping it won't be as cold as last year!)

Meeting at the Swan

2011-10-19T20:01:00.003+01:00

We've had a bit of a quiet time since the Picnic, but now is the time to start thinking about the Christmas Fair, and Fairtrade Fortnight, and renewing our status as a Fairtrade Town - and a few other things as well.
The Christmas Fair (slogan this year will be "Have Yourself A Fairly Traded Christmas") will be held on the 10th December, and we'll have a mix of regulars and new stalls from all around the world. One new trader we're hoping to have is Trade Africa, who have batik and other handicrafts from Tanzania and Malawi, and there's also a small charity called Obumu which works with villages in Uganda.
Chris, who does the lion's share of organising the Fair, is also active in Jump4Timbuktu, and he told us that they now have a new co-ordinator, who is fluent in French (important for Mali, where one of the main languages is French). They have also been working on some new projects, in particular an IT centre and a gardening project. They've even been trying out some of the techniques for the gardens at Hayfield Garden here in Hay (under slightly different conditions than the edge of the Sahara desert!)
Chris is also involved with the Cheesemarket project in Hay, to renovate the old Cheesemarket for community use, and because of this he's involved with ambitious plans for the Hay Festival. For several years now, the Fair on the Square has been put on during the first weekend of the Hay Festival, to tempt Festival goers into the middle of town. Now they want to link up events in the Square, the Buttermarket and the Parish Hall, with stalls, workshops, and entertainment. Many of the stalls will be Fairtrade, so he was suggesting that Fairtrade Hay should get involved with the organisation of this. More on that nearer the time!
And while we're touching on the subject of the Cheesemarket, Jo Eliot is involved in a fund-raising fashion show at the Swan for the Cheesemarket on 3rd November! They, too, have a new co-ordinator, who is needed to put the bid together for the money they really want, to renovate the building.
And then there was the renewal form to fill in - or make a start at, anyway! I think we've actually done rather well. The only thing we said we were going to do in 2009 that hasn't happened yet is the putting up of a Fairtrade banner outside the Council Chambers, and we've raised money, and got agreement in principle from the Council for that. We've held events, liased with other local groups and other local Fairtrade Towns, brought out a new Fairtrade Directory, and publicised everything we've done in the local press.

Fair World Project

2011-08-27T18:01:00.002+01:00

On Facebook, there's a campaign to encourage major brands and companies to source Fair Trade products.
More information at www.fairworldproduct.org

Fairtrade Fashion

2011-07-22T15:21:00.004+01:00

"Oh! Have you come to take it down already?" asked Jayne the Librarian. She sounded rather disappointed. They seem to have enjoyed playing host to the Fairtrade Fashion exhibition over the last two weeks. "The walls look very bare now," she said.
So now the pictures are all safely packed up and ready to head off to their next venue.

The Exhibition is Up!

2011-07-07T12:52:00.002+01:00

I went up to the Library this morning with the parcel of pictures to put up for the photographic exhibition. They were delivered yesterday, to the shop where I used to work, by a courier who's been coming to Hay for a long time and knows that Mary Fellowes at Broad Street Books would get the parcel to the right person! He didn't want to take them back to the depot where they'd be flung around by the staff there despite the labels saying "Fragile".
Once there, we hit a snag - the pictures wouldn't go on the Library display board. But every problem is an opportunity for creative thinking, so we put up the exhibition on top of the bookshelves around the walls instead! Many thanks to Jayne (who wouldn't let me climb the ladder) and her assistant, and to the lady who gave artistic advice about the placing of the pictures (everyone's a critic!) - they really did look better after we'd moved them round.
Even as they were going up there was a lot of interest. A chap working on his laptop said he might have to move so he couldn't see one of the celebrity pictures, as it was taking his mind off his work! And he knew who the celebrities were - I have to confess my woeful ignorance of popular culture here! Another lady asked how long the exhibition would be on, so she could come back and look at it when we'd finished putting the pictures up.
And on the way home, I met a neighbour who actually used to know the photographer Trevor Leighton!

Photographic Exhibition

2011-07-06T21:53:00.002+01:00

The photos have arrived!
Tomorrow I'll be hanging them at Hay Library for an exhibition that will last until 20th July.
Trevor Leighton, a photographer who has done work for such magazines as Vogue, has taken photos of models wearing Fairtrade cotton clothing for the Fairtrade Foundation. There are also pictures of the cotton producers in the exhibition.
The exhibition is currently touring Wales - it was at Crickhowell before it moved here.

Picnic Bliss!

2011-07-04T17:02:00.003+01:00

And what a wonderful afternoon for a picnic it was! We had the wonderful Paul Hartley entertaining the kids with interactive co-operative games, Christina doing art with nature (which was a great success), a refreshment tent with Fairtrade teas and coffees and juice, a face painter who was working flat out for four hours, and a good time had by all!
I couldn't be there - I was supposed to be doing the five stick weaving, but I was ill in bed. And we couldn't manage to interest any of the local musicians in coming along with their guitars. Everyone else I've spoken to, though, has given it such glowing reviews! Bob from the Transition Towns group (our co-organisers - Hayfield Gardens is their initiative) was so enthused that he was talking about doing one every three months or so!

Planning a Picnic

2011-06-15T21:05:00.003+01:00

It's always fun to plan a party - and in view of the weather this year, we're planning for every eventuality! We're borrowing a geodome and various tents just in case it rains. The Community Picnic is a joint effort with Transition Towns Hay, and will be held in the Hayfield Community Gardens, just on the edge of town, with amazing views of the river and castle. The date is Sunday 3rd July, from 12 noon to around 4.30pm. The important thing to remember is to bring a picnic, and there will be free activities on site including Paul Hartley's community games, Art with Nature with Christina Wright, five-stick weaving with Lesley Arrowsmith (or Matilda de Breos, as she's been persuaded to dress up in medieval costume - they didn't have to persuade very hard!). There will also be live music and Fairtrade teas, coffees and squash - and biscuits. And face painting, too.
During Hay Festival Tim Smit, from the Eden Project, visited the gardens, and formally opened their geodesic polydome.

The planning meeting was also looking back at our recent achievements. Julia ran a stall at the Africa Market in the Parish Hall during Hay Festival, with lots of Fairtrade stalls around her, and said it was good to have the presence there.
Those who went to the Smallholders Show at the Royal Welsh showground also said it was well worth while.
Barbara manned the tea tent at the community gardens for some of the time they were open during the Festival. She said it was quiet, but people did make their way up there, and there was a big meal one evening with veggies from the garden cooked in a giant cauldron.
Jo gave out Fairtrade directories before the talk at the Globe with Harriet Lamb - and Harriet Lamb also went to visit the Africa Market, and the This Is Rubbish meal up at the community gardens.
So, all in all, we've been quite a busy group recently!

Smallholders Show at the Royal Welsh

2011-05-21T19:34:00.002+01:00

The Fairtrade table in the Green Horizons hall at the Smallholders' Show this year is a Powys wide initiative. Today, everyone manning the stall had come from Hay, but tomorrow there will be people from Brecon and elsewhere.
We had Fairtrade chocolate from the Co-op and Divine for people to try (always good for encouraging people to stop and chat), and some campaign material about cotton subsidies. It seems that the EU subsidise cotton growers in Greece and Spain to the tune of seven billion euros every year (!!) even though they only produce 2% of the world's cotton. We had letters addressed to each of the four Welsh MEPs, to encourage them to vote against continuing this subsidy. Meanwhile, cotton growers in West Africa can actually produce their cotton more cheaply, but cannot compete with the subsidised cotton from the EU and the United States. One lady took a whole bunch of these letters to pass around her ladies' group! Another lady praised the Co-op for their labelling after having done a fact-finding mission with her local WI.
It was also encouraging to find that almost all of the children who stopped at the stall said they either belonged to a Fairtrade school, or had recently done a Fairtrade project at school or with the Scouts. Three teachers took leaflets to find out more about their school becoming a Fairtrade school, too.
In fact, the majority of people who stopped to chat already knew about Fairtrade and tried to buy Fairtrade products, though there were still plenty who didn't know that the label went much beyond coffee, chocolate and bananas.
And as you can see from the picture above, it wasn't just humans who were interested in Fairtrade. Here are some local gnomes receiving their Fairtrade stickers!

Bunting

2011-05-16T19:00:00.002+01:00

On the Fairtrade Blog, there's a post by Harriet Lamb about the Fairtrade bunting that was decorated by supporters of FT all over the country - we did some here in the Buttermarket. It's been up on display in Battersea Park.
Harriet Lamb will be appearing at the Globe as a speaker in their HowTheLightGetsIn festival, which is on at the same time as Hay Festival. With Barry C Smith, Joanna Kavenna, John Naish and Robert Rowland-Smith, she'll be talking about The Famine and the Feast at noon on Sunday 29th May, and at 10.30am on Monday 30th May she'll be appearing on stage with Gideon Rachman, Bonnie Greer, Christopher Hamilton and Simon Glendinning for a discussion entitled The End of Abundance?

Future Events Planned

2011-05-13T20:15:00.002+01:00

We haven't been idle - just catching our breaths after Fairtrade Fortnight.
Plans are now afoot for a community picnic at Hayfield Garden, in association with the Transition Towns group. The date is now set for Sunday 3rd July, from 12 noon to 4.30pm, with entertainment from Paul Hartley, our local 'gamester for hire', five-stick weaving, face painting, nature art, a plant sale and acoustic music. Anyone who would like to come should bring their own picnic, but teas and coffees (and possibly cake) will be available.
Meanwhile, at the Library, a photographic exhibition will be on display for two weeks from 30th June. This is an exhibition of celebrities wearing clothes made with Fairtrade cotton, and photographed by Trevor Leighton, a well-known portrait photographer.
There will also be a Fairtrade stall at the Green Horizons show at the Royal Welsh showground on the weekend of 21st/22nd May, and at the Royal Welsh Show itself in July. This will be a Powys-wide initiative from all the local Fairtrade Towns.

Photos

2011-03-22T19:15:00.003Z

Here are some of the photos of the Fairtrade event at the Thursday market - the first is when we were advertising a reward for the finding of our letter 'F', and the second is when it was found for us!

Fairtrade Fortnight Events

2011-03-17T16:48:00.003Z

Last year, the Fairtrade Hay group dressed up as tea ladies and gave out free cups of Fairtrade tea at the Thursday market. The market traders have been asking us if we'd repeat that generosity ever since!
This year the theme is cotton, though we still had some tea on the go. We also had items to display from several shops in Hay that sell Fairtrade goods, including some from the Co-op - and found that we couldn't display half of them because the wind kept blowing them away! Inside the Buttermarket, sheltered from the weather, we had bunting to decorate, and Jo promptly found a group of kids from Trewern Outdoor Pursuits Centre who were in town for the morning to decorate some of them. We also sent them off to look for part of our missing banner....
The original idea had been to have a giant Fairtrade washing line stretched right across the top of the market square, above the stalls. I went down with the washing line the night before the market, when the wind was already starting to blow up, and we decided it would be safer to string the banner across the front of the Cheesemarket building - giant Tshirts, knickers, shorts and socks, each with a letter sewn on to spell Fairtrade (only the letters were Fairtrade cotton - the rest was recycled).
When we arrived in the morning, the washing line had wound itself around one of the pillars of the Cheesemarket - and the 'F' was missing entirely! We put the remaining "AIRTRADE" banner around the sides of the Buttermarket on the railings, and posted a reward for anyone who found the 'F'. Several hours later, it was found under a tree in the Castle grounds! Hurrah! It will appear again at the Fairtrade picnic in the summer.
Despite the weather, we got quite a bit of interest, the tea kept flowing despite a couple of technical hitches, and a good time was had by all.

The following night was Bingo night at the local primary school. It had been a non-uniform day for the children, who were encouraged to bring in Fairtrade prizes for the bingo, and to dress in Fairtrade colours for the day. I couldn't be there, but I'm told that some of the older ladies took the whole thing very seriously indeed!

Coming up soon will be a Fairtrade cookery book, produced in collaboration with all the local Fairtrade schools - we hope!

Small Revolutions

2011-03-17T16:47:00.000Z

Here's a video from Ammanford Fairtrade group, including the 500 mile Fairtrade Bike Ride.

Reasons to buy Fairtrade

2011-02-13T18:14:00.002Z

Part two of an occasional series, taken from the pages of the book by Miles Litvinoff and John Madeley.
Pay Small-Scale Farmers a Fairer Price - Fairtrade raises incomes of small scale farmers and boosts local economies. The fairtrade farm-gate price is the key to a better life for hundreds of thousands of families.

This is also an issue closer to home - here in mid-Wales local farmers and the big supermarkets have an unequal relationship, with the power in the hands of the supermarkets.
On the world stage, the world banana trade is dominated by five transnational companies - Dole, Del Monte, Chiquita, Fyffes and Noboa. They grow bananas on huge plantations, with low wages and often dangerous working conditions, with a high level of pesticide use (and lack of safety clothing, for example, for the sprayers). The small, family-run farms on the Caribbean can't compete with the low prices of the transnationals - unless they turn to Fairtrade, where they get a guarenteed minimum price for their crops.
Supporting small producers helps women disproportionately, as they are often the majority of the smallest farmers, and helps communities to send their children to school and to afford medical care without worrying about crippling debt.

Getting Ready for Fairtrade Fortnight

2011-01-28T15:01:00.003Z

Two of us went up to the car park in the middle of town this morning to measure out where the Fairtrade Clothes Line is going to be hung over the market stalls of the Thursday Market during Fairtrade Fortnight. We did it with the knicker elastic that we are going to be using for the clothes line.
Then we went into Shepherd's for a Fairtrade coffee.
"We're not going to serve you until you tell us what you were doing up there!" said the girl behind the counter. Which was less interesting that any ideas she had about it!

Banner!

2011-01-15T12:30:00.004Z

"There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness"
Mahatma Gandhi

I sent off for some organic, fairtrade cotton to make a banner for Fairtrade Fortnight - last night. It arrived this morning! It's also rather lovely cotton, so I highly recommend www.organiccotton.biz The quotation above came with the cotton.
The whole banner won't be made of FT cotton, sadly, as we can't afford it, but the rest of it is being recycled out of old sheets. The idea is a clothes line with the word "Fairtrade" spelled out across the items. So far I've cut out two giant Tshirts, two pairs of giant knickers, two pairs of shorts, two odd socks and an apron!
The banner will be flown across Hay Market during Fairtrade Fortnight, and we will have an information stand (and teas) nearby.

Fairtrade Meeting at the Swan

2011-01-11T20:16:00.002Z

Although the Swan is officially closed for the next couple of weeks, they were happy for us to use the little room with the big table, just off the bar, and we were even able to get drinks when we went in.
The main topics of conversation were the new Directory that we have all be collecting pledges for (asking local businesses to commit to providing at least two FT products, and if they also provide local produce, all the better). There will be more businesses included this time, so fewer pictures, but we thought the best way to go would be one global picture, of cotton since that's the theme for this year, and one local picture, probably of the Tea Ladies from last FT Fortnight (though how we're going to explain why we've got all those men in drag, I'm not sure!)
As Fairtrade Fortnight will shortly be upon us, we were also planning events for it, including a bingo night at the school (takings to be split between FT Hay and the School), a giant clothes line across the market with an information stall and teas (again), and the launch of the new Directory. We will also be involving all six of the local FT primary schools in the production of a FT cookbook (we're anticipating a lot of recipes for banana bread!).

Reasons to Buy Fairtrade

2011-01-08T15:18:00.003Z

I realise I'm probably preaching to the converted by posting this here, but I've just come across the book "50 Reasons to Buy Fairtrade", and I'd like to share, one reason at a time.
Reason 1. Back a system that benefits the poor. The mainstream trading system is failing the poor. Fairtrade offers partnership in place of exploitation.
The poorest countries do not benefit from 'free' trade - while Western nations are making huge profits, African nations have a shrinking economy, at about 0.8% a year, even though many valuable raw materials come out of Africa.
Millions of small scale farmers have been driven to bankrupcy as a result of subsidised food from the West being 'dumped' in their countries, undercutting their prices.
Throughout the developing world people are working in poor countries for less than a dollar a day to make goods such as clothes and toys for the Western world. Often these goods carry prestigious brand names and sell for high prices. But wages for the people who make them are rock bottom and working conditions are often appalling.
Fair trade gives the poor who actually make the products a better deal.

Love Zimbabwe Sponsored Walk

2010-12-22T15:13:00.002Z

Congratulations to Martha from Love Zimbabwe for a valiant effort!
She didn't make it the full distance of 22 miles, either barefoot or in walking boots, but she got a lot further than anyone I know would have!
The full story is in the Brecon and Radnor Express this week.

Third Fairtrade Christmas Market

2010-12-11T19:16:00.002Z

We had better weather than Brilley Christmas Craft Fair last week! It stayed above freezing.
Love Zimbabwe were there, of course. Martha, who runs the stall, was in the Brecon and Radnor Express this week. Tomorrow she's doing a sponsored walk of twenty two miles to raise awareness of the problems of women in Zimbabwe - and she's doing it barefoot. In December. She said she was going to put goose grease on her feet to protect them, like Channel swimmers do.
Tools for Self Reliance were there for the first time, with tools that have been refurbished here, and tools that have been made by blacksmiths in Tanzania. They seemed to have a pretty good day, and went home with the trailer a bit lighter.
The lady from Bagage does more than just bags now, because she has a little shop in Newcastle Emlyn. I rather liked her chickens made out of re-cycled plastic bags.
We also had Jump4Timbuktu, Zimele, Athene English with Burmese scarves, herbfarmacy, the Egyptian patchwork stall, Darling Buds of Hay selling Christmas wreaths, and free mince pies and mulled apple juice from the committee, as well as local calendars that we were selling for Lisa Marie of Wye Local (who was unable to come because she was ill). We were also sorry not to see Jackie and her Castello de Haia soaps, but she had a family crisis and was also unable to come.
The Town Cryer did a sterling job for us, and also Cried for The Village Quire, two of whom were supplying the music - trumpet and cornet carols, and a bit of close harmony singing.
And we should also thank the Mayor of Hay, Mary Fellowes, for officially opening the fair.

Preparing for the Christmas market

2010-11-30T12:21:00.002Z

We've been distributing flyers around town (and as far afield as Brecon) to advertise our Third Fairtrade Christmas Market, on the 11th December, in Hay Buttermarket.
When I went into one of the shops in Hay today, the lady told me that one of the flyers has got as far as Poland!
They have a regular customer for religious books in Poland, so now she always slips in a leaflet to tell him what's going on in Hay, and this week, it was the Fairtrade flyer! I don't suppose he'll be coming to the Market, but it's nice that the news gets so far from home.

Fairtrade Christmas Fair

2010-11-09T18:42:00.002Z

Plans for the third annual Fairtrade Hay Christmas Fair seem to be going well, with nine confirmed stalls and a couple still to come, and a nice mixture of Fairtrade and local products. Some old favourites like Love Zimbabwe and Jump4Timbuktu will be back along with newcomers like patchwork from an Egyptian Christian community and Tools for Self Reliance from Crickhowell (who work with people in Tanzania). There will also be mulled apple juice and mince pies, and possibly some local Christmas trees too.
The date for your diaries is Saturday 11th December, from 10am to 5pm, in the Buttermarket, Hay (with seasonal live music).

Cyclists Set Off

2010-10-31T09:39:00.002Z

I've just come back from waving off the Hay cyclists as they set off over the Brecon Beacons to Ammanford. Luke and Anna are using a tandem, and Jo arrived festooned with Fairtrade balloons to go a little way with them, along with her partner Noel, who was taking photos.
It was lovely to see the chap from Marcher TV, come to record the event for posterity. He interviewed Jo and Luke before they set off.
The support vehicle is one of the Drover Holiday cars, with a cycle rack on the roof, so our weary cyclists should be arriving back in Hay this evening, having handed on the scroll to the cyclists of Ammanford for the final run down to Cardiff.

The Passing on of the Scroll

2010-10-30T21:42:00.005+01:00

The passing over of the scroll at the Council Chambers, with Ray from Bridgnorth and his two friends (in the yellow jackets), Anna from Hay, Jo Eliot (in the pink), Roger Williams the MP, Lady Matilda de Breos, and Mary Fellowes the Mayor.

Reception at the Council Chambers

2010-10-30T20:07:00.003+01:00

Today was the day that the 500 Mile Fairtrade Bike Ride came through Hay-on-Wye.
Three cyclists did the 60 miles from Bridgnorth (or perhaps a bit more than 60 miles when they got lost/went the pretty way in the small lanes). Ray, who is 68 years old, did the entire 60 miles, with his two beautiful young assistants doing 30 miles each and sharing the driving of the support vehicle.
We had quite a gathering to greet them to Hay: Roger Williams, the MP; Mary Fellowes the Mayor; Fiona Howard the headmistress of the Primary School (which was the first Fairtrade primary school in Wales); Peter Lloyd, a previous mayor and member of the council; Mike Like, another councillor; George the Town Cryer, who gave the official welcome; Jo Eliot of the Fairtrade group, who organised the event, and Lady Matilda de Breos (who built Hay Castle in the 12th Century).
Also there were the contingent from Drover Holidays led by Anna Heywood and her husband, who are doing the 60 miles from Hay to Ammanford tomorrow, with a brief stop off at Brecon, which is the other Fairtrade town on the route. One of the cyclists for tomorrow was also representing the Co-op this evening - he came straight from work in his official jacket, which was nice because the Co-op kindly donated the wine for the evening. All the snacks were either Fairtrade (from the Co-op) or local produce, which was Tyrell's Crisps. We had three well known local buskers, led by Briar, to sing the Proclaimers hit 500 Miles with Fairtrade words, and Tim from the Transition Towns group. Sally (and Poreg the dog), who support the Fairtrade group in Hay, came along too. If I've missed anyone out, I apologise - it was quite packed in the Council Chambers, anyway).
Kirsty Williams, our AM, was unable to attend as she was somewhere in North Wales, but sent her good wishes.
The official scroll was signed by the Bridgnorth cyclists and handed over ceremonially to Anna, who will sign it along with all the other cyclists who get to Ammanford tomorrow evening, and pass it on to their cyclists for the next stage, which will be down to Cardiff and the finishing line.
Tomorrow, the Hay contingent will depart from Drover Holidays, near the main car park, at 9am, with as many people with bikes who wish to join them for a little way. Apparently Ammanford are putting on a circus skills workshop to greet them in the evening.

500 Mile Bike Ride

2010-10-09T11:07:00.002+01:00

The programme to welcome the cyclists in the 500 mile bike ride is coming together. We've booked the Council Chambers for wine and nibbles - and the ceremonial handing over of the parchment that's being used as a baton. It's being passed from cyclist to cyclist along the whole 500 mile route. A route which one rider is doing in it's entirity! Most people are only doing one leg of it.
We'll have local musicians singing the Fairtrade version of the Proclaimers' hit 500 Miles and Matilda de Breos, the Norman lady who built Hay Castle, will be there.
We can't compete with Chester, though - they're providing a Roman guard of honour - and Ammanford are having a circus skills workshop with unicycles!
The name of the 500th Fairtrade town is being kept secret till the end of the ride, when all will be revealed via video link-up with Cardiff.

Wheels across Wales....

2010-10-01T11:23:00.002+01:00

... and England, too.
There are now 500 Fairtrade Towns, and to celebrate, there will be a 500 mile bike ride across the country, finishing in Cardiff. Different cyclists will be doing different stages of the route, and the riders from Bridgnorth are expected in Hay on Saturday 30th October. The Hay riders, Anna Heywood from Drover Holidays and five friends, will start the 60 miles for Ammanford on Sunday 31st October, with an escort and flags flying! They're starting from just outside Drover Holidays, by the top of the main car park, at 9am.

Signing the Pledge!

2010-07-31T15:46:00.002+01:00

The Fairtrade Hay group are going round at the moment collecting pledges from local businesses, to say that they are either selling Fairtrade goods, or using Fairtrade goods themselves (such as FT tea and coffee at teabreaks). These will be used to produce a new Fairtrade Directory for the town.
While I was going round, I discovered that herbfarmacy support a group in South India called Kerala Crafts. They make rather lovely shopping bags out of banana leaves with natural dyes. See www.keralacrafts.co.uk for more details.

Royal Welsh Showground

2010-07-20T18:40:00.002+01:00

The sun shone yesterday. Today it was not so nice.
We were there to collect signatures for a petition. Wales is a Fairtrade country - in fact, I think it's the first Fairtrade country - and the Royal Welsh Show is one of the biggest events in Wales every year. The Show is not a Fairtrade show.
We chatted to a chap who worked at the Members Pavilion, and he said that they were serving Fairtrade tea and coffee there, but only because they happened to have it with them, rather than it being a matter of policy. He was quite happy to serve Fairtrade as a choice "but not the orange juice," he said. "That tastes horrible!"
He said that other shows made it a condition of the tendering process that the tea and coffee should be Fairtrade - the Eistedfodd is a Fairtrade show now, and that's the other really big Welsh event every year. Other, smaller shows are also often Fairtrade - but not the Royal Welsh. Not yet, at any rate.
That's what the petition was for - to persuade the organisers that there is public interest in the show becoming a Fairtrade show. Most people we approached were happy to sign, which was encouraging, and most of them knew about Fairtrade and what it stood for.
This has been a jointly organised petition amongst the different Fairtrade groups in Powys, with someone going to collect signatures every day of the show.
Pity about the weather.

Garden Party

2010-05-22T19:09:00.002+01:00

Well, what a beautiful day for a garden party! The sun was shining, the sky was a cloudless blue, and I'd forgotten how beautiful a little village Cwmbach is.
Lots of people came to enjoy the home made cakes, tea and strawberries and cream, and most of them went away carrying armfuls of plants. It really was the most enjoyable afternoon. I'm not sure how much money was raised for the charity, but it must have been quite a lot, and the Fairtrade logo was prominent on the raffle prizes.

Up Coming Events

2010-05-15T13:36:00.002+01:00

There will be a Tea Afternoon at Bronheulwen, Cwmbach, on Saturday 22nd May, from 2pm.
This is in aid of street children in Mysore, India, but will also be an Fairtrade event, as the refreshments and raffle will be using Fairtrade products. Tea! Cakes! Local strawberries and cream! And lots of plants - this is a good chance to restock the garden. Entry £2.50.

For more information about the charity, go to www.rlhpmysore.org

Fairtrade Sighting

2010-04-25T18:46:00.001+01:00

Nice to see that there was a Fairtrade tea and coffee stall at this year's Wonderwool at the Royal Welsh showground.

Schools Poetry Competition

2010-03-07T19:08:00.000Z

This year, for Fairtrade Fortnight, we involved the local Fairtrade schools by running a poetry competition. Each school chose the best poem from their children to go forward to be finalists, and all the finalists were displayed in Hay Library (thanks, Jayne). Then Mel from the Poetry Bookshop judged the finalists.
The winner was six year old Patrick Morgan, from Clifford School, who got a book of poems and some book tokens, and yesterday morning he had his picture taken at the Library by the nice man from the B&R, with as many of the Fairtrade committee as could come. His mum and his sister and his gran were there to support him, too.
Mel chose the poem because it was happy, all about him eating his Fairtrade banana and thinking of the farmer buying rice and making his house nice, and Mel said that happiness was what Fairtrade and poetry should be all about.

Fairtrade Cathedral

2010-03-05T15:13:00.002Z

I noticed in the Hereford Times this week that Hereford Cathedral has just become a registered Fairtrade place of worship. They use Fairtrade communion wine, and their cafe and shop will be stocking more Fairtrade goods.
Hereford is already a Fairtrade City.

Something a Bit More Ladylike

2010-03-04T15:38:00.004Z

This Thursday morning, there was no dressing up in the overalls and turbans. Instead we had all been baking cakes for the Coffee Morning at the Bear - including Cameron, aged 8, who also drew out a lovely sign to go with his muffins (which were delicious).
Barbara did most of the work in the kitchen, Jo ran the raffle, James sat by the door to take the money, and Christina and Soura ran a stall full of wonderful patchwork goods made by a Christian community in Egypt, mostly made out of factory remnants of cotton.
We had a steady stream of people through, who all stopped to chat, and a pleasant morning was had by all.

We also had the relevant pages from the Brecon and Radnor Express and the Hereford Times on display, showing last week's tea lady antics.

Tea Ladies!

2010-02-25T17:28:00.002Z

We were very lucky with the weather - the sun shone for most of the morning. We set up the tea trolley in the middle of the market, and Shepherds very kindly allowed us to put the urn we'd borrowed from the Cat's Protection League in their private kitchen at the back, and run in and out with hot water. We borrowed the tea trolley from the Youth Group at the Community Centre, and all went down there to dress up and decorate the trolley. Which we then had to wheel through town, with Jo ringing her handbell to announce our coming.
We gave out something like 125 cups of free Fairtrade tea (the Indian Princes variety from the Co-op, who generously gave us supplies). Most people were supportive; some already drank Fairtrade tea, and others commented on how nice it was.
Derek and Tim, both in drag, took one of the big teapots and a stack of cups, and went round the local shops. Derek/'Ophelia' had a long wig and lipstick smeared roughly round his mouth and a brown overall and skirt, and Tim had balloon breasts under a purple dress with a red and yellow wig. We got James into a purple wig and a pinny, but that was as far as he would go. The rest of us girls had turbans and overalls or pinnys.
Photographers turned up from the Brecon and Radnor Express and the Hereford Times, and Marches TV turned up at the end, but didn't really have time to do any filming.
And Les who runs the market asked if we'd like to do it again next week, because it had brightened the place up!

Tea Ladies

2010-02-23T19:56:00.002Z

We all went round to Jackie's house last night. It wasn't exactly a meeting - and Jackie had laid on some lovely nibbles and drinks. What we were actually doing was comparing costumes for Thursday, when we're all going to dress up as tea ladies and give out free cups of Fairtrade Tea at the Thursday Market. We're borrowing a tea trolley from the Youth Club at the Community Centre, and getting hot water from Shepherds.
The look we were searching for was Nora Batty/Amy Turtle, rather than anything more glamorous (does anyone else remember Crossroads?). Three of us will be cross-dressing, though James refuses to wear a skirt on the grounds that it will be too cold. There was at least one purple wig in evidence for use on the day (and it'll keep someone's head warm!). The rest of us will be wearing the sort of turbans that Hilda Ogden, another style icon for the occasion, used to wear.
It should be a lot of fun, as long as we don't freeze! As Tim, who will be joining us, said, "People will remember the weird ladies who gave them tea, and associate that with the Fairtrade label - and hopefully they'll then want to drink more Fairtrade tea!"

Congratulations are in Order

2010-02-03T21:27:00.002Z

Jump4Timbuktu are feeling very proud of themselves at the moment - and so they should be - they've just won the United Nations Gold Star Community Award for Livelihoods for their work between Hay and Timbuktu. The Hay Medics also won a Gold Star for their medical work with Timbuktu.

Plans are Afoot

2010-01-16T14:37:00.003Z

This year's Fairtrade Fortnight theme is TEA (last year was bananas), and as soon as the dust had cleared from the Christmas Fair, we started planning what we were going to do. We only have until the end of February - Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 22nd February to the 7th March.
For ideas about tea-related events, go to www.thebigswap.co.uk The idea is that we should all swap our usual, non-Fairtrade brand of tea for a Fairtrade brand, which should be a fairly painless change.
We're all quite enthusiastic about the Thursday market on 25th Feb - we plan to dress up as tea ladies, with a tea trolley, and go about the market giving out free samples of delicious Fairtrade tea. Then on Saturday 4th March, we're having another coffee morning at the Bear - the last one was great fun, and also featured lots of yummy cakes made with Fairtrade ingredients.
This year the schools are being asked to contribute to a Poetry Competition, and the finalists, one from each school, will be displayed in Hay Library for voting on the final winner.
Final preparations are being made at a meeting at The Globe at 7.30pm on 1st February - all welcome!

Fairtrade Christmas Fair

2009-12-19T18:46:00.003Z

Golly, it was cold!

We were in the Buttermarket - and the mulled apple juice went really well! Most of it was produced locally, too - some of it at the community juicing session a little while ago up Cusop Dingle. We had to dash out in the afternoon for extra supplies from the Co-op, though! We had mince pies as well, and all the mistletoe from Jo and Noel's tree up in Brilley sold.
Love Zimbabwe were there again with pottery and beaded little sculptures, and Martha spent a lot of time huddled over the little electric fire Jo and Noel brought with them. Islay spent some time there, as well, lying on her blanket, but when she started shivering I took her home.
The children from Hay School shared a table with the children from Ffynnon Gynnedd, Hay selling Fairtrade bags they'd decorated and Ffynnon Gynnedd selling handmade fudge - which was delicious, and beautifully packaged in cellophane as well. It sold out quite quickly.
The Hay children came with their headmistress, who is also the mayor, Fiona Howard, who opened the Fair with a short speech.
There were wooden toys, African jewellery and beaded work from Zimele (a Zulu group) and African Princess from Zimbabwe, woolly hats from the Andes, and socks - and Athene was roasting chestnuts over a little charcoal stove from India. There were organic teas from Nepal, packed in little silk bags, and rugs. Jump4Timbuktu were there with jewellery and Christmas trees. Herbfarmacy had a stall, to cover the local angle, and they were also sending people down to their nice warm shop to browse. It isn't open properly yet, but they do have a rather lovely stained glass exhibition in it at the moment.
Bagage were there with recycled bags of all sorts.
We were going to have carol singing in the morning, but Fiona Howard couldn't round up enough children, as they've broken up for the holidays now. What we did have were the wonderful Cwmbach Quire, playing carols and other songs as a small brass band. They played for quite a long time, considering that they were going on to the Globe that evening to play again (in the warm, this time - they appreciated the mulled apple juice, too).

So, despite the cold, we all had quite a good time, and some people are already looking forward to next year!

Meeting and Social Evening

2009-12-02T21:00:00.002Z

Or "When we get together, we know how to party!"

The main object of the evening was a shared meal up at Brilley (a small village not far outside Hay). Everyone brought something yummy - a choice of salads and quiches, and figgy pudding with toffee sauce for afters, as well as some rather good chocolaty things. All that and good conversation.

There was a serious point to the meeting, too, though, as the posters and leaflets to publicise the Christmas Fair have arrived (not quite as ordered, but usable) and we needed to get together to hand them out so they can be distributed.
After the success of last year's Fair, we've given ourselves quite a tough act to follow, but we think we can do it!
Several stalls from last year are returning - Athene from The Great English Outdoors, Jump4Timbuktu, Love Zimbabwe, Bagage, Nepal Bazaar, Herb Farmacy and Zimele - and new arrivals are Comolongmo from Nepal.
If it's anything like last year, it should be great fun - and Hay School and Fynnon Gynnedd School are coming along too, to sing carols, and sell Fairtrade bags and home made fairtrade fudge.

The Xmas Fairtrade Fair is on Saturday 19th December in the Buttermarket, Hay from 10am to 5pm.

We Have Fairtrade Status!

2009-11-18T20:31:00.002Z

Yay for us!
We just got the news that Fairtrade status has been approved for Hay until 2011.
Here's what the Fairtrade Foundation had to say at the end of the report:

"Final comment:
Congratulations on maintaining Fairtrade Town Status for Hay on Wye and for the outstanding work you have achieved over the past year. It has been a pleasure to hear about all the fantastic events that have been organised and to see support develop and spread. We would like to thank everyone that has been involved in ensuring that the campaign continues to go from strength to strength. It is because of campaigns such as this that Fairtrade continues to grow, bringing more benefits to more communities in developing countries and encouraging businesses big and small to put people back at the heart of the transaction.

Your next renewal will be due in two years (November 2011) and please ensure that your update includes everything that has occurred since July 2009 when this application was submitted. Our apologies for the time it has taken to process this application and for the panel to do justice to all the hard work that has obviously been dedicated to taking Fairtrade forward in Hay on Wye

We look forward to hearing more when the next renewal is submitted and please do not hesitate to contact us in the meantime should you require any additional support, ideas or assistance. Good luck with all your future plans! "

We're all very happy!

Bruce Crowther

2009-11-18T17:41:00.001Z

Bruce Crowther,founder of the first Fair Trade town,in Garstang Lancashire, will be speaking at the Hay Festival winter weekend...not to be missed. 10a.m Sunday, December 6th at the Community Centre.

Welcome!

2009-11-17T21:12:00.000Z

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.