EASTBOURNE VOLUNTEERS: A welcome visit from Eastbourne Fairtrade

Eastbourne Fairtrade at Eastbourne Community Hub SUS-170315-121343001

This week I'd love to give a big thank you to Fairtrade Eastbourne, who presented our Hub with a lovely hamper of Fairtrade goodies. As we reach the end of '˜Fairtrade Fortnight' it is worth considering, if you don't already, how and where you spend your money. We all know that consumers have power, and the choices you make when you spend your hard earned cash can make a difference. Fairtrade Eastbourne write:

‘The thing I’ve always loved about buying something Fairtrade, be it coffee, tea, chocolate, flowers or another of the increasing line of products that now carry the Fairtrade Mark, is that more often than not there is a photo of someone smiling back at you. Or if there’s no photo then you’re likely to find some description of where your sugar, cotton or fruit was farmed, and crucially by whom.

I’ve always thought this was part of the magic of Fairtrade, connecting distant people at opposite ends of long supply chains. Reminding consumers that the things we enjoy and take for granted are provided by farmers across the world, and reminding us that often these producers live in difficult circumstances, trying to lift themselves, their families and their community out of harsh poverty.