LICHFIELD - A FAIRTRADE CITY
| Published: 24th January 2008 14:02 |
Lichfield has been awarded Fairtrade City status! The award has been made by The Fairtrade Foundation - the national organisation responsible for certifying products with the Fairtrade Mark. Bruce Crowther, who is the Foundation's Fairtrade Town Coordinator described our application as "crystal clear and inspirational"! He goes on to say: " I congratulate not only the Fairtrade Lichfield Group but all the people of Lichfield on achieving Fairtrade City status. The strength of the Fairtrade Towns movement is that it involves all aspects of a community from councils to churches, schools, businesses, shops and cafes. I hope that more and more people in Lichfield will become involved now that Lichfield can proudly call itself a Fairtrade City".
In welcoming the award, Cllr Ian Jackson, Chair of the Fairtrade Lichfield Steering Group says " I am absolutely delighted at this news. Although expected, it is still a wonderful achievement. My thanks go to the team of volunteers whose tireless efforts have been finally rewarded. As a councillor, I'm proud that Lichfield City Council has led the way by agreeing to use Fairtrade products in all our meetings".
Soon after the City Council adopted a Fairtrade Policy in March 2006, one of the first businesses to show its support was the well-known firm of cutlers and silversmiths, Arthur Price. Its Chief Executive, Simon Price, has welcomed the award of Fairtrade City status for Lichfield by saying " I'm deeply proud to be a part of this momentous day. Congratulations to Lichfield and all those who are championing this wonderful movement. I hope that the whole community shows their full support by buying Fairtrade products wherever possible - thereby making the world a fairer place."
Michael Hawkes, Chair of the Campaign Group of key activists, adds: "It's remarkable that over 90 organisations in Lichfield have committed themselves to supporting Fairtrade. We hope that Fairtrade will in time become the norm for people across the city - both at home and at work." Matt Higginson from our local Fire Station sums it up when he says "In an attempt to improve the quality of life of communities across the world involved in supplying us with our daily cuppa, the Fire Station will support Fairtrade by buying Fairtrade coffee." This is a great example of ‘Thinking Globally and Acting Locally'.
For more information about Lichfield's Fairtrade movement, please contact:
Michael Hawkes on 250332 or hawkes.madiba@btinternet.com
Community Comment:
Add your comment:
You will need to sign in to post a comment to this article. if you do not have an AboutMyArea account, you can join now for free.
