Us and our support for Fairtrade
Justice & Peace activities in St Francis of Assisi Parish in South Ascot UK

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We're very much for Fairtrade - in church and schools.

St Francis has long been a Fairtrade Church - and you can see the official certificate in the narthex as you have coffee and tea.

Like most parishes in Portsmouth Diocese, after the required parish agreement we went for Fairtrade certification. That committed us to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee whenever possible and appropriate; to encourage the use of other Fairtrade products; and to support Fairtrade Fortnight. So we do. In fact, the school has gone bananas.

To meet one of the three goals we signed up to, we provide Fairtrade tea and coffee after Mass on Sunday. (And if you'd like to volunteer for the refreshment rota, please contact Sheenagh Purcell sheenaghp@btinternet.com)

We used to have a small shop, but these days many local retailers provide Fairtrade products. But if you have a special need, let us know - and we'll have a catalogue available.  Local CofE churches are the same - but we may sometime be able to find someone to come along with an occasional Traidcraft stall.

And as you'll see below, school and church have helped inspire the 2013 UK Schools Speak Out For Fairtrade.

Fairtrade in the UK was started 20 years ago by CAFOD, Traidcraft, Oxfam and the World Development Movement.  Today, annual sales are over £1.3billion, and around 5000 products are available in retail outlets - from the biggest supermarkets to small Traidcraft stalls. Over 4000 churches have signed up to this practical way of supporting social justice. There are now 500 Fairtrade Towns and Boroughs - including our own Windsor & Maidenhead - and 500+ schools and colleges. Thousands of retail outlets have Fairtrade or Traidcraft goods for sale.

Other Fairtrade Churches around
Roman Catholic
Corpus Christi Wokingham
Immaculate Conception Sandhurst &
Holy Ghost Crowthorne
Camberley & Bagshot Catholic Parish

Church of England
All Souls, South Ascot
All Saints, Ascot Heath
Holy Trinity, Sunningdale
St John's, Windlesham
 

The school produced a banner to catch the eye of all parents, visitors and passers-by - and strung Fairtrade bunting along the front of the church. Every one of the 200+ pupils at St Francis also created their own personal design on triangles of cotton - including their messages for all to read. The Chair of the PTA then spent an evening (thanks!) sewing them together ready to be draped around the inside of the church. The bunting was in place from Fairtrade Fortnight until Eastertide. Parishioners in the pews were able to admire the children’s handiwork close-up, and even stooped their heads in respect...

A spin-off was an invite to Hugh Gibbons to stage a Fairtrade assembly at nearby Winkfield St Mary's CofE Primary.  All the pupils faced towards Westminster and Year by Year sang to the Prime Minister We're/For/Fair/Trade to the tune of the chimes of big Ben (aptly, copied from those at St Mary's Church in Cambridge). David Cameron has been told of their actions.  The pupils also pioneered the Fairtrade Arm - like the person on the logo - which is also the right shape for putting round shoulders to show care and hope. 

This all led Hugh to create

which includes the suggestion that schools offer to send pupils into pulpits -
to tell congregations why it's important to support Fairtrade
Click here for more information.

You can see more of this happy story on the St Francis
school website.
 

PS Many Fairtrade products are available on-line from Traidcraft

Traidcraft is the UK’s leading fair trade organisation. Their 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. Established in 1979 as a Christian response to poverty, they build long-term relationships with producers, support people to trade out of poverty and work to bring about trade justice.
 

Find out more about Traidcraft’s work - and order a catalogue - at  www.traidcraft.co.uk .