Show your support for Fairtrade, schools urged

The Hartlepool Fairtrade Town Steering Group is organising the competition to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight 2020 which runs from February 24th-March 8th.

Chair Martin Green the said the story-telling contest would be a change to the usual competition format which has traditionally involved pupils baking items using Fairtrade ingredients.

He explained: “Fairtrade Fortnight 2019 which took place earlier this year focussed on women workers in cocoa farming and that theme is to be extended into next year when the headline will be “She Deserves a Different Story”.

“So instead of running our usual baking competition, we thought it would be more appropriate to ask schools to write this “different story”.

“Though the main theme will be all about cocoa farmers in West Africa, stories could equally be about women farming other Fairtrade products.

“Stories may be in traditional written form but we would also encourage schools to be creative in the way they present their ideas, so perhaps they might want to consider, for example, producing a video.”

The winning school will receive the Hartlepool Fairtrade Challenge Trophy.

Stories should be sent to chris.richard.eddowes@ntlworld.com by February 28th.

The Hartlepool Fairtrade Steering Group aims to raise awareness of the plight of food growers in some of the world’s poorest countries who are often exploited and badly paid. Buying goods with the Fairtrade mark guarantees growers a fair price.

Earlier this year, Hartlepool’s status as a Fairtrade Town was renewed for a further two years – it is proud to have been a Fairtrade Town since 2005 - following a successful application by the group to the Fairtrade Foundation.

For more information about Fairtrade go to www.fairtrade.org.uk or follow Hartlepool Fairtrade Town on Facebook at /hpoolfairtrade