Welcome
|
Fair Trade CeilidhFancy a fun family night out? Following on from the successes of previous years, we'll be hosting a ceilidh on March 24th to raise funds for Fair Trade Stirling. The ceilidh will be held at the Chalmers Hall of Bridge of Allan Parish Church, from 7pm until 11:30pm. Music will be provided by our friends in the Riverside Ceilidh Band, and a bar will be available.
Tickets are available in advance or on the door. To purchase tickets please call Richard Dyet on 01786 473750, or contact us. Fairtrade FortnightFairtrade fortnight runs this year from Monday 27th February to Sunday 11th March. The theme is Take A Step For Fair Trade, and we at Fair Trade Stirling are keen to help you to do just that.
If you'd like to take a step by buying some Fairtrade goods, our friends at Forth Valley College will be holding a Traidcraft stall in unit 33 of the Stirling Arcade from 10am - 3pm, launching on Wednesday 29th February. FM Christian Bookshop, Barnton Street, will also be stocking Traidcraft and Created goods for the fortnight, and many other shops and supermarkets in Stirling will be stocking their usual range of fairly traded goods.
If you're interested in finding out more about the producers behind Fairtrade, we're hosting a visit from some of the people behind Zaytoun Palestinian products. Olive farmer Abu Kamal and Canaan Fair Trade representative Manal Abdallah will be giving a talk at the Wallace Room, Old Viewforth Council Offices on Thursday 8th March from 6 - 7 pm.
Finally, we're always keen to promote Fair Trade events, so if you're hosting a stall, or organising an event in the area for Fairtrade Fortnight, be sure to let us know. FAIR TRADE QUIZ NIGHTOn Saturday 12th November there will be a Fair Trade Quiz Night starting at 7:30pm, at the Rowing Club in Riverside. It is a general knowledge quiz – no need to be an expert in Fair Trade! Tickets cost £3 and are available from 01786 473750 or at the door. There will be a cash bar. The event will raise money to support the development of an African fair trade producer called Eswatini Kitchen. Eswatini (meaning ‘in Swaziland’) Kitchen was set up in 1991 by a Catholic priest, Father Larry McDonnell and an Anglican nun Sister Judith Dean O.B.E., to create employment in Swaziland for disadvantaged communities, and to generate income for Manzini Youth Care, a non-government organization caring for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Eswatini has grown from a small cottage industry to a successful project producing quality products including curry sauce, jams, marmalade and chutney which are exported to 14 international destinations including Japan, Europe, U.K, America and Australia. Eswatini has recently become a registered member of COFTA, the Cooperation for Fair Trade in Africa. Eswatini Swazi Kitchen is wholly owned by Manzini Youth Care.Fair trade coffee morning and craft fairThis takes place on Saturday 5th November from 10 to 12.30 at the Rowing Club in Riverside. Admission is free. Mary McCulloch from Fair Trade Stirling said, “Come to our community event where you can enjoy fair trade tea, coffee and home baking and lively chat. There will be ample opportunity to browse fairly traded and locally crafted gifts, as well as stocking up on all your Traidcraft essentials.” The event will raise funds for Traidcraft, an organisation which fights poverty through trade, helping people in developing countries to transform their lives.Scribbler's PicnicFair Trade Stirling will be hosting a coconut shy at Stirling's annual Scribbler's Picnic on Sunday 19th June. The event will run from 12 noon until 9pm at Stirling Rugby Club, and entry is £6 for adults and £3 for 11 to 16 year olds. (Children 10 years old and under are free). So hope the weather holds up, and we look forwards to seeing you there to try your hand and win some fabulous Fair Trade prizes! Forging Fair Trade Links with MalawiComing from Malawi, Ken Mkangala was fascinated to see his first snow as he reached the climax of his Fair Trade tour of Scotland last Saturday. But the cold snap at the weekend was no match for the warmth of the reception Ken got at Fair Trade Stirling's family ceilidh in Bridge of Allan on Saturday evening. Over a hundred people heard Ken tell his story and dance to the lively Riverside Ceilidh Band. Ken has brought small farmers together in Malawi to produce the first fairly traded macadamia nuts to go on sale in Scotland and the UK. "This makes such a difference to the growers" Ken said. "The fair price we will now get will enable us to invest in proper warehouses meaning less waste as nuts will now be properly stored. And that will mean more income for poor communities in Malawi. I feel so proud of the strong support people here are giving to Fair Trade. It really makes us feel connected."
Ken Mkangala speaks at our ceilidh, March 12th 2011
Jon Cape, co-ordinator of Fair Trade Stirling said "This was a tremendous evening and shows how we can have a great night out and help a fantastic cause at the same time." The event was assisted by the Co-operative Group. Eric Calderwood, Board Member of the Co-operative Group said "We have been delighted to support Fair Trade Stirling in holding this event. The Co-op has led the way in getting Fair Trade goods into our shops. Every chance to get the fair trade message heard is a step forward." Nationally, the Fair Trade Foundation has announced that Fair Trade sales in Britain increased last year by 40% to top the £1billion mark for the first time. Jon Cape said "This is still a small percentage of our total food purchases but does show that more and more people are popping a fair trade item into their regular shopping basket." Ken's Scottish tour was organised by the Scottish Fair Trade Forum. Martin Rhodes, Director of the Forum, said "This has been one of the biggest events in our tour. We will be keen to build more links with Stirling in the year ahead. The new fairly traded Macadamia Nuts come under the "Malawi Kitchen" and are now available online from Just Trading Scotland" Fair Trade Stirling will be working with Just Trading Scotlanf to help develop the supply of further fair trade goods from Malawi. Anyone in Stirling can take part in the Group or contribute ideas. Don't forget to check out Upcoming Events for further information on the events we're running.
Ken is shown with (left to right): Martin Rhodes of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum; Riverside Ceilidh Band fiddlers Jan Atkinson and Eileen Abbess; and Fair Trade Stirling's Jon Cape. Families MagazineLook out for the Central Scotland edition of this free magazine for parents, where you can enter a competition to win a goody bag of £50 worth of fairtrade cotton baby items! The products that you put in your weekly shopping basket can affect the lives of people living thousands of miles away.Okay, that's the "tugging at your heartstrings" part of the equation. There is, also, the personal benefit gained from purchasing fair trade goods. Fair Trade foods are grown sustainably, ensuring a better future for all of us. Because sustainably-grown crops do not deplete the soil, they provide superior nutrition. Fair Trade helps create a more peaceful world - one you can be proud to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Fair trade goods are often made much closer to home than you might ever have imagined. Businesses in Scotland and throughout Europe design and arrange for manufacture adhering to Fair Trade standards, thus producing sustainable and lasting businesses and employment for our economy. Fair Trade goods aren't just run-of-the-mill or boring.
What more could you possibly want from products you purchase? They're good quality, they help make life better for people all over the world, and buying Fair Trade simply makes you feel good! |
Stirling—A Fair Trade CityIn 2004, the City of Stirling became a proud Fairtrade City, which is active in promoting Fairtrade products. Fair Trade Stirling is a volunteer organisation that coordinated with Stirling and FLO to achieve this status. We continue to work closely with the Stirling Council—along with local shops, cafés, employers, and local organisations—to promote Fair Trade and Fairtrade in and around Stirling, and are quite pleased with the progress made towards popularising the products. We are open to anyone with an interest in helping us promote Fair Trade. |
You can buy Fair Trade goods from the increasing range available locally and via the web. Find out how about the wide variety of Fair Trade goods that are now available in Stirling. You can attend or participate in some of the local events promoting fair trade. We'll keep you updated, if you'd like. If you're trying to bring Fair Trade to your school, please contact us. We'd be delighted to help. |
Throughout the site, information about locations around the world where Fair Trade has been instituted, along with the products and the people making them, are provided. You'll be amazed at the variety, the locations, and how much of a difference your purchase of Fair Trade items can make! Take a look at the box to the left, and you'll see a bit of Fair Trade that might surprise you. Then, look around the site to see more of these Fair Trade boxes |
Fair Trade Partnership Information
Jennifer Wattaka has a coffee farm in Uganda, works full time as the parish's chief administrator, has 3 boys and 3 girls, and is studying public administration and management at night. Her busy life sounds very much like that of many women in Stirling.
She is able to do all this because her farm is part of a cooperative that is able to do Fairtrade business. Not only does this help Jennifer and her family, it also improves the lives of everyone in her community. Jennifer says:
As a woman, being involved with Fairtrade is very helpful. They transport the coffee by lorry so we don't have to carry it on our backs. We understand the coffee business now and Fairtrade has taught us how to improve the quality of our coffee. It also helps women sell their coffee, we have a good market now. Fairtrade is also giving women freedom of speech. When we are paid we buy what we want and don’t have to ask our husbands and we know how to budget for our household needs. We have tasted Cafédirect which has our own coffee in it. It was very delicious!
Thanks to FLO for use of this photo.
"A bite of fair Trade chocolate means a lot to farmers in the South. It opens the doors to development and gives children access to healthcare, education, and a decent standard of living."
- K. Ohemeng-Tinyase, Managing Director of Kuapa Kokoo cocoa cooperative, Ghana