Faversham - A Fairtrade Town
Faversham was the third town in Kent to attain Fairtrade Town status when the then Mayor Mick Gates made the official declaration in Market Place on Saturday 11 March 2006, when around 100 people braved the cold and wet to support this declaration.
To achieve this status Faversham had to meet five goals:
Faversham Town Council passed a resolution supporting Fairtrade and serves Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in its offices.
A range of Fairtrade products are readily available in the Town’s shops (Macknade, Heaven & Earth, Co-op, Del'Artie, Morrison & Tesco) and served in local catering establishments (eg The Railway Hotel, The Albion, Sun Inn, The Phoenix, and Angelic Feast)
Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local workplaces (Heselden Hats, Shepherd Neame brewery, WH Breading estate agents, The Stationery Shoppe and The Hospice Shop, to name but a few have signed up) and community organisations (The Baptist Church, The Gospel Mission, Davington School, Ethelbert Road Primary School, Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, the Faversham Society, Faversham Library and the Citizens Advice Bureau, among others, have signed up)
Attract media coverage and popular support for the campaign – Meridian TV came to interview Steering Group on 11 March – declaration day. Ongoing support from local media.
A local Fairtrade steering group convene to ensure continued commitment to Fairtrade Town status – meeting once a month
What Fairtrade status means to Faversham
This means that Faversham is one of a number of towns in the UK that has met this criteria. It is a town with a conscience and an awareness of the issues surrounding Fairtrade.
The Faversham Fairtrade Town Steering Group feel that if we all do a little and buy products with the Fairtrade Mark – a small change in our shopping habits can make a big difference to the lives of thousands disadvantaged producers.
Buying Fairtrade ensures disadvantaged producers receive a fair price for their goods, the security of long-term contracts as well as guaranteed minimum health and working conditions.
The first Fairtrade label was launched in 1988 in the Netherlands and applied only to coffee. It was a specific response to the collapse of the world coffee price, which fell for some years to far less than the cost of production, and led to much suffering for coffee farmers and their families.
Today, Fairtrade standards are set for a range of commodities from the developing world, including tea, sugar, cocoa and fresh fruits. The standards include a Fairtrade price which covers the cost of production and a premium which is invested in the local community.
History of Fairtrade in Faversham
Before Faversham was a Fairtrade Town, the Revd Ian Black, when vicar at Davington, was very focussed on the issues surrounding Fairtrade, and always ensured the church was fully stocked with Fairtrade tea and coffee.
However it was not until March 2006, after a six month campaign, that Faversham was initially designated a Fairtrade Town - one of the first in Kent to achieve this status. At that time the declaration was made by the then Mayor Cllr Mick Gates, with much local media coverage and support from the people of Faversham.
To maintain Fairtrade Town Status, a further application had to be made to the Fairtrade Foundation to ensure that progress in drawing attention to the issues surrounding Fairtrade have been made. The people of Faversham are certainly aware - with 56 per cent (November 2007) of those questioned knowing that Faversham is a Fairtrade Town, which compares with 36 per cent two years ago.
Reaccreditation of Faversham as a Fairtrade Town, March 2008
On Saturday, 8 March, over 100 people attended the Fairtrade Craft and Coffee Morning at the Baptist Church Hall in Faversham. During the course of the morning the then Mayor, Cllr Trevor Fentiman, reaccredited Faversham a Fairtrade Town.
To achieve this renewal certain criteria have been met, and support for Faversham as a Fairtrade Town has to have been widespread. This comes under 5 goals:
- Goal 1: Local council passes a resolution supporting Fairtrade. The local council have been very supportive of the initiative, with a further resolution being passed in July 2007.
- Goal 2: A range of (at least two) Fairtrade products is readily available in the shops and served in local cafés/catering establishments. The number of retailers at the initial application was 6, and this is now 9 and the number of catering outlets at application was 4 and is now 6.
- Goal 3: Fairtrade products are used by an appropriate number of local work places and community organisations. 41 local business and organisations now support the initiative an increase by 12 since the initial application (see Fairtrade Directory below)
- Goal 4: Attract media coverage and popular support for the campaign. The local media have been very supportive of the initiative, and when the town was initially declared a Fairtrade Town, Meridian news covered the event.
- Goal 5: A local Steering Group is convened to ensure progress and continued commitment to the campaign.
We will be looking for a further reaccreditation in 2010 - this entails an audit of all those who have already pledged support to the initiative, and then increase that number, thus ensuring continuous support.
Aims of the Steering Group
It is the aim of the Faversham Fairtrade Town Steering Group to heighten the awareness of the issues surrounding Fairtrade and to change consumer habit here in Faversham. Such a small change in our shopping habits can make a big difference to the lives of thousands disadvantaged producers.
The group would like to thank those who have actively supported the campaign and have already signed up to the initiative.
What's next
The Faversham Fairtrade Town Steering Group are looking to further promote Faversham as a Fairtrade Town - we have produced window stickers for all those businesses and organisations that support Faversham as a Fairtrade Town, along with a banner that we use at events to promote Faversham as a Fairtrade Town. Thanks form sponsorship from the Co-op, we have been able to fund a prominent panel in The 2009 Faversham Area Guide, which explains about Fairtrade, and and what it means to Faversham to be a Fairtrade Town.
For further information please contact Denise Turner : turner-turner@sky.com