Fairtrade enthusiasts will take to the streets of Cambridge to persuade local cafés and members of the public to choose Fairtrade when buying tea, coffee, chocolate, fruit… and dozens of other products now available from a the Fairtrade source. Campaigners will take a meandering route through the city centre, sending a Fairtrade representative into each café to ask if they serve Fairtrade. If they do, they will be given a Fairtrade certificate to display and if they don’t, they will get an information pack about the benefits of Fairtrade and how to switch over. They will also be giving out chocolate samples and Fairtrade leaflets to members of the public.

The Fairtrade mark appears on more than 850 varieties of coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, sugar, honey, cakes, biscuits, fresh fruit, and juices. Fairtrade foods are available in most major supermarkets and a number of independent cafes and shops. Fairtrade products guarantee producers in the South a fair deal; fair wages for workers, a social premium to invest in community development and longer-term, more secure trading relationships with companies in richer countries. Fairtrade provides an alternative approach to conventional world trade and tackles long-term economic problems in the South through sustainable development for excluded and disadvantaged producers.

Sue Woodsford from the Cambridge World Development Movement said: “Cambridge became a Fairtrade City two years ago and Cambridge WDM produced the Fairtrade Guide to Cambridge last year. This year, we shall be updating this Fairtrade Guide and celebrating Fairtrade Fortnight by our fun Fairtrade Café Crawl. We shall show everyone the benefits of Fairtrade by giving away free Fairtrade chocolate and cake as well as rewarding cafes that serve Fairtrade already. We hope to persuade the others to come on board. The benefits are obvious! We are meeting at Clare College at 10am on Saturday 11th March for an 11am start. Do come and join us!’

Ends

Contact: For details of Cambridge WDM and its campaigns, see www.cambridgewdm.org.uk or contact Sue Woodsford, Sec of Cambridge WDM email:  sue.woodsford@ntlworld.com
or tel 01223 562983 or Shilpa Shah, Cambridge WDM tel 07779 658211 or
email  shilpashah23@yahoo.co.uk
For national WDM campaigns, see www.wdm.org.uk

Photo opportunity at 11am in front of the Guildhall in Cambridge Market Square on Saturday 11 March.

Notes for editors:
- The Fairtrade Foundation is responsible for certifying products as Fairtrade in the UK: see www.fairtrade.org.uk.
- Fairtrade Fortnight is running nationwide from the 6th – 19th March 2006. This event is just one of hundreds of events across the UK raising awareness of Fairtrade, which is a key part of the Trade Justice Movement (www.tjm.org.uk) and the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign.