Town expected to be accorded Fairtrade status this summer

Jun 6 2007 By Eddie Docherty, East Kilbride News

EK 122707

THE East Kilbride Fairtrade Group expects the town to be awarded Fairtrade status during the summer.

The news was revealed to members of the group at its agm, which took place in the Murray Owen Centre on Thursday.

Members gathered to hear Oxfam member John McAllion talk about the work his organisation does, including the activities it organises to tackle trade justice issues.

The former MP and MSP also praised the efforts of the local campaign to make East Kilbride a Fairtrade town.

The secretary of the local group, Joan Wright, said: “We have made great strides forward and we now just have to fill in a few forms and send them off to South Lanarkshire Council.

“The council ultimately has to agree to the status but, given the support we have had from councillors from all parties, I don’t envisage any problems.”

Fairtrade is a campaign to encourage businesses to purchase goods from producers — particularly those in poorer countries — at a fair price to help tackle global poverty.

It was one of the main messages of the Make Poverty History Campaign in 2005.

A raffle was also held at the agm, with prizes having been donated by Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, St Leonards Bakery, Sainsbury, Greggs, Co-op, Footprint Interiors, Pip Slorach and Mary Lang from Traidcraft.

East Kilbride currently has 17 retail outlets where Fairtrade products can be bought as well as nine cafés that provide Fairtrade tea and Coffee.

The 17 outlets are:

l The Village Co-op

l Sainsbury’s at the Kingsgate and Town Centre.

l Holland & Barrett

l Morrisons, at Lindsayfield and Stewartfield

l The Body Shop

l Monsoon

l Marks & Spencer

l Somerfield, at St Leonards and Greenhills

l Lidl, at Hairmyres

l St Leonards Bakery

l Greggs, at The Plaza, Princess Mall and Calderwood Square

l Footprint Interiors – Party Plan and web-based sales.

The nine cafés are:

l Arts café

l Attic coffee shop

l Café Vienna

l Costa, The Plaza

l O’Briens, Centre West

l Courtyard Café, Calderglen

l Costa, Watersons

l Morrisons, Lindsayfield café

l Museum of Country Life.

Two of the town’s major employers — South Lanarkshire Council and Abercrombie House — also supply Fairtrade tea and coffee in their staff restaurants, as do Oxfam and St Leonards Bakery.