Canterbury District Fairtrade Network

CLIMATE AND FAIR TRADE MARKET on WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY, SATURDAY 12th MAY 2012 9am-5pm

This will be our next big event, organised jointly with Canterbury Greenpeace group, to celebrate World Fair Trade Day and emphasise the links between fair trade and sustainability.

There will be street stalls, ethical traders, and entertainment, in St George"s Street pedestrianised area in Canterbury City Centre (between Marks & Spencer"s andSt George"s Clock Tower).

The day will begin with a Fair Trade Breakfast between 9 and 10, part of a worldwide network of Big Breakfast events taking place on World Fair Trade Day - see worldfairtradeday.

Julian Brazier MP will be joining us for breakfast at 10 am, so it would be great to have a good number of Fairtrade supporters joining us at that time. Do come if you can - then or at any time in the day.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2012

Find out more about this year"s Fairtrade Fortnight (Feb-Mar 2012) here.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2011

Find out more about Mark Thomas's visit in this short report

As a group we keep track of the availability of Fairtrade goods locally and publish this information in our Fairtrade Guide.

We welcome the involvement of anyone who would like to help. There are many ways you can do so:

• Buy Fairtrade products whenever possible
• Ask shops, cafes and restaurants that you visit to stock Fairtrade products
• Find out more about the Network's activities by joining the Network's Email List
• Join the network and help out on our stalls and with our campaigning
• Introduce Fairtrade products in your place of work or study
• Tell us of any schools, workplaces, local organisations, churches or faith groups which use Fairtrade products.

If you'd like to join the network mailing list, please e-mail us.

Our partnership with Canterbury City Council also includes a commitment to promote the use of local produce. The two aims are not in conflict, but complement one another. Buying things like tea, coffee, chocolate and tropical fruits, and paying a fair price for them, can help to lift communities out of poverty in Africa and Asia and Latin America. Importing across the world those foods which have traditionally been grown in Kent is bad for the local economy and bad for the environment. To encourage the use of local produce, we have included a section on local farm shops and farmers' markets in our Fairtrade Guide.