Take a Step Coffee Shop Trail - downloadable leaflet here

Fairtrade Fortnight 2012 will take place from 27 February - 11 March.

 Harrogate town centre Fairtrade Coffee Shop trail 27 February to 11 March 2012.

This event took place during Fairtrade Fortnight this year. Each of the six participating venues displayed a poster with information on steps you could take to extend your support for Fairtrade goods. This information was entered on a form, together with one letter from an anagram (also taken from the poster).

The correct answer to the anagram was "source" - a word with links to Fairtrade.

The other information was as follows:

Bean & Bud Café Take a step from orange juice to olive oil (letter "O")

Debenhams Café Take a step from shopping bags to shower gel (letter "S")

Catwalk Café Take a step from coffee to candles (letter "C")

Jenny's Tea Rooms Take a step from eccles cakes to Easter eggs (letter "E")

Stray View Coffee Shop Take a step from rooibos tea to rubber gloves (letter "R")

M&S Café Take a step from underpants to ukuleles (letter "U")



We received over 50 completed forms and all the correct entries were entered into a draw. The winner of the Fairtrade hamper (which included most of the items mentioned on the poster, with the exception of underpants and ukuleles!) was Mrs Erica Miller of Harrogate.

Pictured Chair of the Harrogate Fairtrade Group Carmen Sawers with the winning entry.

Well done to Erica and a big thank you to all the participating venues. You can find many of the Fairtrade products mentioned in the lists above in our local supermarkets, and these and lots more in the about-to-reopen Harrogate Fairtrade Shop. This retail outlet has been closed while St Peter's church in Harrogate town centre worked on its refurbishment. The official opening is set for Saturday 4th May 2012. (The new entrance to Harrogate Fairtrade Shop will be from the pedestrian precinct into St Peter's Church opposite the HSBC bank).

Harrogate Borough gained Fairtrade status in 2006, fulfilling the required 5 goals listed below.

Our mission is to continue to promote Fairtrade in the Harrogate Borough and to increase the use of Fairtrade products in all sectors of our area from little shops to large supermarkets, from small B&Bs to big hotels, from Primary Schools to Colleges, to include every religious and community group!

To become a Fairtrade Borough these 5 goals must be met:

• The local council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in offices and canteens.
• A range of Fairtrade products must be readily available in the area’s shops and served in local cafés and catering establishments (targets are set in relation to population)
• Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local work places (estate agents, hairdressers etc) and community organisations (churches, schools etc)
• The council must attract popular support for the campaign
• A local Fairtrade steering group must be convened to ensure continued commitment to Fairtrade Town status.

Please look around our website and if you would like to get involved with promoting Fairtrade in our area, in helping us maintain our Fairtrade borough status either contact us or just ask your shops to start stocking fair trade items.