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Campaigners celebrate as Southend becomes a Fairtrade town

SOUTHEND'S commitment to improving the lives of farmers in the developing world has been recognised through a charity award.

The town was named an official Fairtrade borough by charity the Fairtrade Foundation, which helps farmers and workers get better prices and decent working conditions.

A partnership between Southend Council and Fairtrade supporters in the town has seen a number of businesses, cafes, shops and schools support the movement, allowing the town to qualify for the award.

Councillor Andrew Moring, a member of Southend Council's Fairtrade steering group, which promotes the movement in the town, said: “This is great news!

Well done to everyone involved for all the hard work that has been done throughout the borough to make this possible.

"This action will help ensure decent working arrangement for all farmers and workers, not just those in the developing world.

“We must make sure we can keep people thinking and choosing Fairtrade in the Borough, and really try and build on this success to better people’s lives.”

For more information on Fairtrade visit www.fairtrade.org.uk

Comments(12)

Nebs says...
5:39pm Wed 3 Nov 10

http://thelinc.co.uk
/2010/03/how-fair-is
-your-fair-trade-cof
fee/

Herr Von Pumpenhausen says...
7:48pm Wed 3 Nov 10

When I buy something that's really cheap made abroad it always makes me think, if they worked twice as hard I could buy it half price....

siddymint says...
6:29am Thu 4 Nov 10

Councillor Andrew moring supports fair trade in other countries but does not support fair trade or fair speach in his own ward he represents, dispite a 3,000 signiture petition.
Its good to support Fair trade but you should support your own first especailly when they bothered to vote you in and you then move to posh thorpe bay to live.

el caballero de la noche says...
6:30am Thu 4 Nov 10

Yet another 'Modern Invention' that idiots will believe in because it makes then feel good.

Corruption always will exist in corrupt countries like Africa.

southendreb says...
9:05am Thu 4 Nov 10

siddymint wrote:
Councillor Andrew moring supports fair trade in other countries but does not support fair trade or fair speach in his own ward he represents, dispite a 3,000 signiture petition. Its good to support Fair trade but you should support your own first especailly when they bothered to vote you in and you then move to posh thorpe bay to live.
Be fair Siddy Andrew is very busy promoting movement in the town.

colourzoom says...
10:06am Thu 4 Nov 10

It's one thing Southend being given fairtrade status, which looks good in print and makes the council look like they care. But on the other hand, the council are allowing the likes of Tesco - who pay their farmers and producers as little as they can get away with in order to sell goods to the public at unrealistically cheap prices - to run riot in our town. If the council knew and cared about the real meaning of Fairtrade, they'd evict Tesco and Primark for starters, and actively encourage people to buy from local producers. Here's an idea: scrap the new Tesco hypermarket in Short Street and start an independent indoor market like the one in Chelmsford.

DannyK86 says...
2:24pm Thu 4 Nov 10

el caballero de la noche wrote:
Yet another 'Modern Invention' that idiots will believe in because it makes then feel good. Corruption always will exist in corrupt countries like Africa.
Since when was Africa a country?

DannyK86 says...
2:26pm Thu 4 Nov 10

colourzoom wrote:
It's one thing Southend being given fairtrade status, which looks good in print and makes the council look like they care. But on the other hand, the council are allowing the likes of Tesco - who pay their farmers and producers as little as they can get away with in order to sell goods to the public at unrealistically cheap prices - to run riot in our town. If the council knew and cared about the real meaning of Fairtrade, they'd evict Tesco and Primark for starters, and actively encourage people to buy from local producers. Here's an idea: scrap the new Tesco hypermarket in Short Street and start an independent indoor market like the one in Chelmsford.
Well the council couldn't 'evict' Tesco or Primark, as the land/centres the stores are on/in are privately owned. How much power do you think councils actually have?!

gitreal says...
2:26pm Thu 4 Nov 10

DannyK86 - haha haha well spotted!

DCLEIGH says...
3:33pm Thu 4 Nov 10

In the many thousands of year before "FairTrade" how many other schemes like this have there been - None.
How many nations/ continents/ tribes have prospered because another people decide to give them preferred status - None.
How many other economies have turned to a debtor and said - Look don't pay me back, in that way we will all prosper - None.
Why don't we realise that Darwin was correct and that the survival of the fittest has been the driving force of evolution for EVER and if we try and go against that we will do no good.

Nebs says...
9:48pm Thu 4 Nov 10

DannyK86 wrote:
colourzoom wrote: It's one thing Southend being given fairtrade status, which looks good in print and makes the council look like they care. But on the other hand, the council are allowing the likes of Tesco - who pay their farmers and producers as little as they can get away with in order to sell goods to the public at unrealistically cheap prices - to run riot in our town. If the council knew and cared about the real meaning of Fairtrade, they'd evict Tesco and Primark for starters, and actively encourage people to buy from local producers. Here's an idea: scrap the new Tesco hypermarket in Short Street and start an independent indoor market like the one in Chelmsford.
Well the council couldn't 'evict' Tesco or Primark, as the land/centres the stores are on/in are privately owned. How much power do you think councils actually have?!
They have the power of compulsory purchase if something is overwhelmingly in the best interests of the town. The Southend Utd, Sainsburys, Roots Hall, Local Shopkeepers, debate is a case in point where they are threatening to evict, by compulsory purchase, property owners for no reason other than they think it will benefit the town.

EstuaryView says...
10:02pm Fri 5 Nov 10

Fairtrade morally blackmails the guilt-ridden British public into buying overpriced but very mediocre products.
.
Please do NOT connect our town with fairtrade in ANY shape or form.

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