FOR two weeks schools and other organisations in Craven observed Fairtrade Fortnight.

They invited more people to come in to Fairtrade and showed them the difference that choosing Fairtrade makes to the families and communities across the world who grow and make the things we love.

Some planned events continued into the following week as many had to be rescheduled because of the snow days during the first week of Fairtrade Fortnight.

Skipton Fairtrade Initiative launched Fairtrade Fortnight with a stall outside the Town Hall and decorated the entrance with ‘ reasons to come in to Fairtrade.’

In Lothersdale, the school and church worked together to organise a very successful community coffee morning in the village hall, which was supported by donations of Fairtrade tea and coffee from the Co-op in Crosshills and a selection of Fairtrade goodies from Tesco used as raffle prizes.

Teacher Natalie Gallagher said: “The children loved it and have thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

“As in many other schools in Craven, our children have also been learning about the benefits of Fairtrade and what exploitation looks like when trade doesn’t deliver.”

In Christ Church School, class 3 discussed ‘Should Fairtrade end?’ in their ‘Philosophy for Children’ session, whilst class 5 thought about international trade by following the journey of a banana from the Windward Isles to their lunch boxes, and linking all the people involved using string. They discovered everyone was linked to everyone else and that we live in an interconnected world, where our choices have an impact on the lives and choices of people thousands of miles away.

At Carleton, during their annual Fairtrade day pupils, wore the Fairtrade mark colours of black, green and blue, completed a carousel of Fairtrade- themed activities including Fairtrade art, learning about the journey of a banana, and sampling Fairtrade foods at a pop-up Fairtrade café.

The Saturday café in Skipton Town Hall run by St Mary’s Church, Embsay, was Fairtrade too.

The 3rd Skipton Cub pack and St Mary’s After School Club in Embsay had fun wearing the Fairtrade banana suit, playing Fairtrade-themed games and tasting the new smooth dark hazelnut chocolate from Divine.

Fifty Year 6 pupils from Giggleswick Junior School and Settle primary schools also had lots of fun when Liz Roodhouse and Fiona Protheroe of Craven Development Education Centre facilitated an adapted version of Christian Aid’s ‘Trading the Trainers’ game.

They said they were surprised that the people who make trainers for the big brand names only receive on average £1 of the price we pay for them in the shops.

There have been many Fairtrade pop-up stalls, Fairtrade assemblies in schools, and non-uniform days, as well as opportunities for creativity.

In Skipton Girls’ High School all the tutor groups were busy decorating their classroom doors with reasons to come in to Fairtrade.

Liz Roodhouse, Craven Development Education Centre Co-ordinator and Chair of Skipton Fairtrade Initiative, said: “In 2017 one in five people in the UK said they would actively purchase Fairtrade products.

“Fairtrade isn’t in competition with local produce. We encourage anyone who can buy locally from a sustainable source to do so, and, as most Fairtrade products are commodities you can’t produce in the UK, if you can’t buy local, buy Fairtrade.”