ILKLEY Fairtrade Group is calling on the local community to open their doors to Fairtrade and close the door on the exploitation facing people who produce things we eat, drink and wear.

The nationwide Fairtrade Fortnight campaign ‘Come On In’ runs from Monday to Sunday, March 11 and this year there are two Ilkley events to learn more from those who have been championing Fairtrade for many years.

There is a Traidcraft “Big Brew” coffee morning and stall in the Tower Room at St John’s Church, Ben Rhydding, on Thursday, March 1, 10am to noon. On Friday. March 2 there will be a Traidcraft stall in the foyer of Christchurch on The Grove from 10.30am to 12.30pm, and a stall purchase will entitle shoppers to a free Fairtrade hot drink in the Christchurch Cafe during this time. A member of Ilkley Fairtrade Group will also be on hand with virtual reality headsets for people to ‘step into’ banana or coffee farms in Panama and Kenya to experience what it’s like for the farmers and communities there. Traidcraft was one of the founders of the Fairtrade Foundation in the early 1990s, and their business focuses 100 per cent on making trade fair.

Marcial Quintero is a member of Coobana, a Fairtrade banana co-operative in Panama. He said: “Before joining Fairtrade we didn’t see any benefits, development or profit. The price we used to receive per box wasn’t enough to cover our costs – and for 17 years the price didn’t change. Since starting with Fairtrade it’s made a mega-revolution in our lives.”

Karen Palframan, chair of Ilkley Fairtrade Group said: “Whether in the UK or Panama, everyone should have the best opportunity to make a decent living. By simply swapping to Fairtrade products such as tea, coffee, bananas and chocolate, or even Fairtrade footballs and gold, we can make the difference between fair wages and poor living standards for a farmer like Marcial. If we don’t consider the impact of these choices, we may unconsciously be feeding exploitation. In Ilkley, Fairtrade products are available in all the supermarkets, as well as in Oxfam, and every Fairtrade purchase we make directly helps farmers have sustainable incomes, and improve their communities and the environment. We’re delighted to learn that the Co-op has just swapped all of its African roses to Fairtrade, and we think these would make a very meaningful gift for Mother’s Day, which this year falls on the last day of Fairtrade Fortnight: lovely flowers for mothers, and life-changing benefits for the African flower growers and their communities."

All Saints’ Primary school pupils are designing posters for a ‘Come on In to Fairtrade’ competition organised by All Saints’ Church. The winning entries will be displayed in the church office window on Church Street. Local Rainbows and Brownies will be learning about the ‘bean to bar’ process of how chocolate is made as part of their ‘Thinking About Our World’ event, and discovering that, on average, cocoa farmers in Ghana earn just 62p a day.

Fairtrade is the most widely recognised ethical label in the world and one that has paved a more conscious way of shopping since it started over 22 years ago.

Fairtrade Fortnight is the biggest annual campaign coordinated by the Fairtrade Foundation. Campaigners across the UK will be holding hundreds of Fairtrade breaks, bake-offs, and ‘Come On In’ events using #FairtradeFortnight to raise awareness and encourage more people to buy Fairtrade.

For more information about the campaign and how to get involved, visit www.fairtrade.org.uk/fortnight or contact Ilkley Fairtrade Group on 07703 778261.