Leamington group promote Fairtrade Fortnight 2014

Leamington’s Fairtrade group were spotted on campus dressed up as bananas to promote Fairtrade Fortnight 2014.

This year’s Fairtrade Fortnight ran from 14 February to 9 March, with the campaign focused on achieving a fairer price for banana producers.

Over the past ten years, there have been concerns that the price of bananas have dropped dramatically, with Fairtrade claiming that the price has halved since 2004.

This price drop, whilst seemingly beneficial to the UK consumer, represents a financial challenge for banana farmers who are traditionally based in some of the world’s poorest regions.

In order to promote the campaign, Leamington’s Fairtrade steering group, alongside Mayor Judith Clarke, visited Warwick campus dressed as bananas on 28 March.

The group spoke to students to raise awareness of Fairtrade, in particular the problems associated with banana pricing.

They encouraged students to sign the online petition, which will be sent to the government to persuade them to put pressure on retailers to increase the pricing of bananas.

The University was visited as part of a ‘Fairtrade tour’ which included stops in Leamington, Kenilworth and Stoneleigh to promote Fairtrade to the residents.

The tour was organised by Leamington’s Fairtrade steering group, which is made up of volunteers including representatives from the Warwick.

Leamington’s town clerk Robert Nash encouraged participation from students, stating: “We welcome input from all sections of the community including those who are living in Leamington during their University semesters.”

First year Classical Civilisation student Harmeet Randhawa thought the recent visit to campus was a good step to promote a worthy cause. She told the Boar: “Fairtrade is important as it is about being fair to those who produce the products, we should do more to support it at this university.”

If you would like to join the Leamington Fairtrade group, contact clerk@leamingtonspatowncouncil.gov.uk