Fairtrade – sharing God’s love with all

Our faith is not just about what we do in church. If affects the way we live our lives and the decisions we make about how we spend our money. In this country we are fortunate enough to be part of the richest 10% of the world's population and have access to products from all over the world. Fairtrade is about ensuring better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

There are a large range of fairtrade products from tea and coffee to footballs, dish cloths and rubber gloves. A variety of , including some clothing, are now widely available in all major supermarkets. By looking for the fairtrade mark and choosing the fairtrade product you are helping to ensure farmers in the developing work are treated fairly.

St Peter's runs a fairtrade stall that stocks a variety of fairtrade products including some that may not be available in supermarkets. The majority of our products are supplied through Traidcraft, the UK’s leading fair trade organisation. Traidcraft's mission is to fight poverty through trade, practising and promoting approaches to trade that help poor people in developing countries transform their lives. Traidcraft's unique structure - a trading company and a development charity working together - gives them a distinctive perspective on how trade can be made to work for the poor.

You can out more about Fairtrade and Traidcraft at www.fairtrade.org.uk and www.traidcraft.co.uk. If you want to know more about St Peter's Fairtrade Stall please speak to Ann Taylor or Jackie Gallop.