The Fairtrade Logo

The next meeting of the Fairtrade group in Hay is on Wednesday 4th September at 6pm in the Blue Boar.

The Fairtrade logo was first introduced 25 years ago, in October, and to celebrate local communities are being encouraged to hold a 25th birthday party to celebrate Fairtrade's achievements and reinforce the principles the logo represents - fair wages and working conditions for farmers and growers in developing countries.

One of the things that the Fairtrade movement is concerned about at the moment is the undermining of the Fairtrade logo by global companies who have introduced their own labels, which are not independently audited.
Sainsbury's now has a 'fairly traded' mark. Lidl is introducing non-Fairtrade bananas alongside the Fairtrade bananas it sells. Nestle, Cadbury, Starbucks and McDonalds have all introduced their own in-house programmes.

So remember the original, and best, logo to be sure you're supporting Fairtrade:

New Fairtrade Shop in Town

Welcome to Rosa Azul, which has opened on Castle Street, just in time for the Festival.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight is coming up soon! This year it is from February 25th to March 10th.
In Hay, there will be a stall on the Thursday market on Thursday 28th February, with information about local activities and the global efforts to guarantee a living wage for farmers - this year the focus of the campaign is West Africa, including Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. Between them, these two countries produce 60% of the world's cocoa beans, so a simple way to help them would be to buy more Fairtrade chocolate! Hot chocolate and homemade cupcakes will also be available at the stall.
Hay Co-op uses Fairtrade chocolate in all its own brands, and Fairtrade chocolate is also available at the Hay Deli and other local food shops.
Many women work on cocoa farms, and at present they have fewer rights than men, so the Fairtrade Foundation is working with governments and retailers to improve conditions for women in particular, with the slogan "She Deserves a Living Income".

Fairtrade Christmas Fair

The Fair is still in full swing in the Buttermarket - I went along this morning just in time to hear the Kinnersley Singers performing:

(They're also looking for new members).

Also there were stalwarts of the Fairtrade Fair Tools for Self Reliance, Jump4Timbuktu selling silver and leather goods (also available at Haymakers throughout the year), Hay2Timbuktu with their toilet (the latest campaign was to raise money for new girls' toilets at the high schools in Timbuktu), and the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees, who were providing mince pies and hot drinks, and selling copies of Eugene Fisk's books Only Connect and O Happy Hay! Only Connect is a book of portraits by Eugene of some of the refugees that the Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees help by organising days out in the countryside.

Also at the Buttermarket is a chap who's come all the way from Stroud, and says that coming to Hay is one of the highlights of his year! He was selling all sorts of gifts - mugs from Swaziland, silk scarves from India, elephant poo paper, and lots more. The shop is called eachday Trading Co., and they have a website at www.danaqa.com They work with women-led businesses in a variety of developing countries, and the name means "pleasantly surprised" in Amharic.

Christmas Fair and Winter Festival

This year the Winter Hay Festival will be taking place over the weekend of 23rd to 25th November.
As part of the festivities, Fairtrade Hay will be having their Christmas Fair in the Buttermarket on Saturday 24th November. Hot drinks and cakes will be provided this year by Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees.
Jump4Timbuktu will be displaying jewellery and leatherwork, and there will be crafts from the Wati Collective from Columbia, food from Palestine's Zaytoun, and textiles and children's gifts from Dragon's Garden.

This year the Fairtrade Hay group are also seeking to renew Hay's status as a Fairtrade Town, which depends on the number of outlets in the town that sell Fairtrade goods and food. As part of this effort, they are trying to persuade more local shops to stock Fairtrade products.

Ready For the Festival

The window of Eighteen Rabbit today, all ready for the Hay Festival crowds.

Talks Postponed

As Hay is presently under a deep blanket of snow, the talks scheduled for this afternoon and early evening have been postponed until Thursday 8th March.