Kirklees has been successful in renewing its Fairtrade Borough status, as well as Fairtrade Town status for Huddersfield.

With lots of events and activities regularly taking place across the borough, as well as three new Fairtrade status schools in the area, Kirklees continues to drive the campaign for Fairtrade forward.

Fairtrade status was awarded to Kirklees in 2011 after a sustained campaign which started in 2009 by a steering committee made up of Kirklees councillors, council officers, voluntary sector representatives, University of Huddersfield, Mid-Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, the Huddersfield branch of the Co-operative Party and work by a group called the Young Ethical Pioneers.

There are a number of areas, groups and organisations in Kirklees with Fairtrade status.

Fairtrade is about better prices and decent working conditions for farmers, workers and communities in the developing world. Buying products with the Fairtrade Mark helps guarantee a fairer deal for everyone.

Under Fairtrade, farmers receive:

• agreed stable and sustainable prices
• an extra payment (a ‘premium’) to invest in their community

Source: Fairtrade Foundation (external)

Lorena works on a Fairtrade flower farm in Ecuador. When we buy Fairtrade flowers, a portion of the money we pay is given back to the communities where the flowers were picked and cut. This helps people like Lorena put food on their tables, send their children to school and benefit from sustainable farming methods.

Whether it’s tea, coffee, chocolate, flowers or cotton wool, there are over 3,000 Fairtrade products out there. Look out for the Fairtrade Mark when making your purchases and help make a real difference to people’s lives.

Lists of Fairtrade products and where you can buy them are on the Fairtrade Foundation website.

For the latest information about the Fairtrade campaign in Kirklees, get in touch with Cllr Julie Stewart-Turner:

Email: julie.stewart-turner@kirklees.gov.uk

Telephone: 07753 676 679

You can also like Kirklees Fairtrade on facebook and follow them on twitter.

• Fairtrade Foundation (external)
• Yorkshire Fairtrade (external)
• Batley and Spen Fairtrade Constituency (external)
• Lindley CE(VA) Infant School (external)
• Meltham Fairtrade Group (external)