Doing business at a Fair Trader stall (photo: Traidcraft).

Traidcraft roadshow hits Hastings

Traidcraft, the fair trade retailer, is holding its first roadshow in Hastings on Thursday. In addition to the usual fairly traded products, it will bring a message from producers and advice on how to get involved in promoting fairer trade relations. Nick Terdre reports.

Run by a team of five from Traidcraft headquarters in Gateshead, the roadshow will take place from 10am to 4pm at His Place Community Church in Robertson Street (formerly the United Reform Church) on Thursday 30 January. This is the first time it has come to Hastings, local Fairtrade activist Christine Ward tells HOT.

Surface spray from the new line of cleaning products (photo: Traidcraft).

The event, which will be attended by Mayor Alan Roberts, himself a Fairtrade enthusiast, will provide a first opportunity to find out what’s in Traidcraft’s new spring catalogue. In particular the company is keen to publicise its new line of cleaning products, Clean & Fair, “the world’s first Fairtrade-marked household cleaning range…eco-friendly and made using natural, plant-based ingredients including palm oil and coconut oil sourced from farmers and processors in some of the world’s poorest regions.”

There will also be a sale of goods from past catalogues at reduced prices, Christine says.

At 11am, a video message from Traidcraft producers will be shown, while in the afternoon, starting at 2pm, there will be a chance to learn how to promote Traidcraft’s fair trade message, with drop-in areas on topics such as campaigning activity, how to generate local PR and raising funds in your community.

The fair trade message was also to the fore last week, when a Traidcraft stall was mounted at the St Leonards Business Expo at Azur, an event supported by the Federation of Small Businesses. “We really did get some people on board and made some useful contacts, including with schools,” Christine says.

These events represent further steps in the campaign to win Hastings the status of a Fairtrade Town. The committee organising progress towards this end met in mid January, when the issue of reviving the Hastings Fairtrade website was among items on the agenda. Although the Bexhill Fairtrade Committee has made a generous donation, further funds have to be raised to get the website up and running on a permanent basis, coordinator Rosemary Goring tells HOT.

The committee also has its sights fixed on making a splash during Fairtrade Fortnight in late February and early March, which will feature a campaign aimed at boosting the proportion of fairly traded bananas sold in British supermarkets and shops.

Traidcraft Roadshow His Place Community Church, Robertson Street, Hastings, 10am to 4pm on Thursday 30 January.

Traidcraft fillip for Hastings Fairtrade

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