Planning for the Picnic

The Fairtrade Fayre in the Buttermarket went quite well over the Festival - we were there on the Tuesday while Jubilee things were happening on the Square. We also had a table at the Africa Day on Sunday, in the Parish Hall. So last night we met to sort out what to do for our next event, which will be the Community Picnic at Hayfield Gardens on Sunday 8th July, from 12 noon to 4.30pm. Paul Hartley will be coming again, with his community games, and Christina will be doing her Nature Art, which was popular last year. Ellie Spencer, of the Beavers, will be doing crafts all afternoon, and the face painter will be there again. There will be games - giant snakes and ladders, a treasure hunt game, and Sticky Sticks construction game - and refreshments - but the idea is to bring a picnic with you! Then on Sunday August 12th and Sunday September 16th, Jo Eliot and Noel Kingsbury will be opening their garden in the National Garden scheme. The charity, of course, will be Fairtrade, so Fairtrade teas and cakes will be available. Noel has a blog, at noels-garden.blogspot.co.uk

There's going to be a lot going on in the middle of Hay over the Jubilee weekend. As well as the Fairtrade Fayre in the Buttermarket, the Fair on the Square is back with a Jubilee theme, and there will be a procession on the Tuesday, which is the extra Bank Holiday. Meanwhile at the Parish Hall on the Saturday, the Africa Fair is back this year, and there will be a Fairtrade presence there too. This is also over the first weekend of the Hay Festival, and the Globe's Where the Light Gets In, so Hay will have a real carnival atmosphere. And no sooner will we have recovered from all that, there's the Community Picnic up at Hayfield Gardens in July!

Summer Fair

Hay Festival is coming up soon, and there's going to be a lot happening around Hay. There's also the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, of course, and it is on that day that the Buttermarket in the middle of Hay has been booked for a Fairtrade Fair. (It'll make a nice change to have a fair at a warm time of year!). On Tuesday 5th June, some of our regular stall holders will be coming along - like LoveZimbabwe, Bagage and Tools for Self Reliance, as well as a few new faces. Out in the square, there will be children's activities for the Jubilee, a parade of school children, and a picnic. Across the square, there will be food stalls in the Castle Gardens from the Abergavenny Food Fair. On the other side of the Castle there will be a sound stage for Hay Festival, and the shuttle buses will be bringing people to and from the Festival site on the edge of town. Meanwhile, on Sunday 3rd June, the African Fair will be happening in the Parish Hall again, and there will be a Fairtrade information table there, too. And some time in July (trying to avoid clashing with the school fete) there will be another Community Picnic at the Hayfield Gardens, hopefully in conjunction with other groups in town. It's going to be a busy summer!

Take a Step up Cusop Dingle

Here we all are, setting off across the fields up one of the loveliest Dingles in the area. There are lots of good footpaths, and this one started off as part of the Offa's Dyke Path. We turned off to cut across the Dingle to Cusop Church, which is now St Mary's, but was originally dedicated to St Cewydd - the Welsh rain saint! We had some pretty heavy rain at the start of the walk, but the sun came out beautifully later.
Twenty one people (and one dog) came on the walk, and a lot of us brought Fairtrade snacks to share.

Shared Interest

At the Fairtrade meeting, last week, one of the members brought along a copy of the Shared Interest annual review. Shared Interest is the only 100% fairtrade lender in the world, and when the Hay group have some money in the bank, we invest it with Shared Interest, knowing that it will be going where it is needed most. It's their Twentieth Anniversary this year, and they are now active in sixty three countries.
Despite a difficult year in the present economic situation, the Annual Review does mention several success stories. The Hadrian's Wall area - ten miles each side of the Roman wall stretching from the east to the west coasts - is the first World Heritage Site, National Trail and international zone to be awarded Fairtrade status! That's a lot of towns, communities, businesses and schools all coming together to make it happen.
Shared Interest now also have a book out, about their achievements. Harriet Lamb, the Executive Director of Fairtrade Foundation, wrote the foreword, saying: "Never has the mission of Shared Interest been more relevant than today, as the organisation celebrates its twentieth anniversary. All around us lies the wreckage of conventional financing. The reluctant recession means tough times for us all. But if it's tough for us, it is desperate for smallholders and workers in developing countries."
They have also made video blogs on the Fairtrade Big Swap theme - swap your conventional item for a Fairtrade version. This led them away from the usual tea and coffee to such exotic Fairtrade items as socks and vodka!
Their website is now on the list of links on the sidebar.

Fairtrade tent on the Market

There we are, across the market square - it's more of a gazebo than a tent, so it doesn't look quite as overwhelming as I thought it might, though it does have all four sides if anyone wanted to use it as a marquee.
I arrived at lunchtime, when the Indian lady had gone to speak at Hay School, but Christina was there with the Fairtrade leaflets and the treasure game. You can see by all the little flags in the sand tray that a lot of people had a go! Christina put all the flags that were next to the treasure into the Fairtrade bag (made in Mongolia, from felt) which was the star prize, and I pulled out the winner - Emanation Smith - who was thrilled when she was presented with it later!

Plans coming together

Sadly, there was very little interest around town in doing window displays for Fairtrade Fortnight, but we have been able to invite a real Fairtrade producer! They are from India, and they grow cotton, and they will be in the middle of Hay Market on Thursday 1st March to talk to anyone who's interested.
Meanwhile, Fairtrade tea is on special offer at herbfarmacy at the moment!
There will also be a Fairtrade walk on Saturday 3rd March. It will start from the top of the car park at 11am, and head up Cusop Dingle, perhaps with Fairtrade tea at the Old Stables afterwards for anyone who wants to chat.
The Film Society will also be providing Fairtrade snacks and drinks for this month's film.