Fair Trade News

Issue Date: 10th November 2006

This years Fair Trade Christmas Bazaar will take place in the Inverness Town House on Saturday 25th November between 11am and 4.00pm. The Bazaar will feature stalls from Traidcraft, Green Kite, Tearcraft, Oxfam, Leprosy Mission, Hariro/Hadeel, L'Arche, Evanton TF, Highland Wholefoods and the Co-Op.  There will also be displays by the Fairtrade Foundation, New Consumer and Ethical Consumer.

Please come along on the day and support this event and these very worthy causes.

Issue Date: 24th April 2006

This is to let you know that Smithton-Culloden Free Church is now officially a fair trade church, with our tea/coffee etc being supplied through Traidcraft.  We will be holding a Fair Trade Coffee Morning on Saturday 3 June, from 10 am - 12 noon, if you want to add that to your list of forthcoming events.

Issue date: 4th October 2005

Some members of staff based at NHS Highland headquarters felt strongly that although the organisation was working across the area to make Highland a healthy place to live, they also had an ethical responsibility to consider what impact they could have on health inequalities on a more global scale. A simple solution was to take the small step in improving the health and well being of people in much poorer countries just by changing the brand of tea or coffee used in the office. Fiona Dahl, Formulary Pharmacist at HQ said:

"Now visitors and staff can enjoy their tea and coffee knowing that they are helping those who produce it to be paid a fair wage. The farmers and workers who produce most of the tea and coffee we drink live in countries where not only do they not have access to a quality national health system but their basic standard of living is very poor. Fair trade is a strategy that will help alleviate poverty and also promote sustainable development by guaranteeing farmers and workers a fair and stable price for the products they produce. We are really hopeful that other staff in the NHS Highland area will follow suit."

Caroline Parr, Highland Health Branch International Officer for unison agreed:

"UNISON welcomes the staff in their endeavours to add NHS Highland to the growing momentum of Inverness becoming a Fairtrade city. Unison has links with sister unions throughout the world and works with several international organisations. Unison is committed to the principles of fair trade products and works closely with the Fairtrade Foundation to promote fair trade. The Highland Council was one of the first local organisations to offer fair-trade beverages at meetings and is also supporting the bid to make Inverness a Fairtrade City"