Campaigners in Cherry Burton are celebrating after “Fairtrade Village” signs were erected by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council on each of the four roads leading into the village. Thanks to the generous support of local businesses who funded the signs, the village now has visible reminders of its status for residents and visitors alike. Placing of the signs will fulfil another of the Group’s aims of raising awareness in the local community of the impact that choosing Fair Trade makes on people in the third world.
Welcome to the Cherry Burton Fairtrade and Local Produce Project Steering Group website
The East Yorkshire village of Cherry Burton became a ‘Fairtrade’ village in July 2003. It is only the second village in the country to do this. Over the past few years, members of the local community have been active in promoting the use and sale of fairly traded and locally produced goods in the local shop, school, pub and various other organisations. Please look around this website to find out more about the project, groups involved in fairtrade or indeed how to become involved yourself.
Fairtrade Village signs erected
Cherry Burton serve up fair deal for farmers
Fairtrade Breakfast 2016
Fairtrade Breakfast kitchen volunteers
Volunteers
Volunteers
Cherry Burton celebrated Fairtrade Fortnight by joining with the rest of the country in holding a Big Fairtrade Breakfast in the St. Michael’s Centre on Saturday March 5th. The menu was packed with Fairtrade and Yorkshire products in recognition of the importance of farmers in developing countries and our own Yorkshire farmers. Fairtrade mueslis and orange juice were followed by a cooked breakfast of East Riding Country Pork bacon and eggs from Field House Farm, Newbald, via Trophy Pets at Walkington, accompanied by toast and Fairtrade marmalade/jam/honey, and all washed down by a choice of Fairtrade ground coffees or tea. Even the milk was local from Chestnut dairies and butter from the Dales Creamery.
Ros Stanley from Cherry Burton Fairtrade and Local Produce Group said: “Fairtrade means many producers and workers are able to put enough food on the table for themselves and the people they care about, all year round. We have been campaigning for Fairtrade for thirteen years, and have learned what a difference it makes for the world’s most vulnerable communities. 400 million hungry people live on small farms and work to produce many of the foods we eat or drink. Fairtrade is something everyone can engage in and make a positive difference in our very challenging world.”
Sit down for breakfast, stand up for farmers!
On Saturday 5th March 2016 we held a Fairtrade Breakfast, where we once again served up a delicious choice of Fairtrade mueslis, orange juice, coffee and tea, together with local East Yorkshire bacon butties, and toast with Fairtrade marmalade, jam or honey. The breakfast was served from 9 to 11.30am in the St. Michael Centre, behind St. Michael’s church, Cherry Burton.
Banana Sunday in Cherry Burton
Aimeth and children with some of her bananas
Cherry Burton welcomed Aimeth Fernandez Angulo to the village on Sunday 9th March 2014 – “Banana Sunday”! Aimeth is a banana farmer and manager of a banana growers’ co-operative in the Magdalena region of northern Colombia. She grows bananas on her small farm of 1.3 hectares, producing around 67 boxes (1.2 tonnes) of bananas a week. She has been employed by the co-operative, ASOBANARCOOP, for 26 years, using her skills as a trained economist with extensive experience in business management.
The co-operative was set up in 1987 by 17 small-scale farmers who formed an association to collectively export their bananas and improve their livelihoods. It now has 44 members, including 11 women. The average farm size is three hectares with an average annual yield of 30 tonnes of bananas per hectare, providing 80% of the farmers’ incomes. Fairtrade sales now account for 90% of the total, with ASOBANARCOOP Fairtrade bananas available in The Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, and Spar.
We were privileged to have Aimeth as our guest, and to hear her compelling story of the difference it makes to her life if we buy Fairtrade bananas!
Banana Sunday!
Excitement is mounting in Cherry Burton as we prepare for the visit of a banana farmer from Colombia as the highlight of our Fairtrade Fortnight 2014. On Sunday 9th March the farmer will spend the day in our village, talking to the children in the morning about what it’s like to grow bananas, and telling us in the afternoon what difference it makes to their life being able to sell them as Fairtrade. The afternoon event will be held in the St. Michael Centre, behind the church, from 2.30 to 4.30pm, and there will be a Fairtrade stall and refreshments on the banana theme. All welcome – please let us know you are coming!
Watch this space for further details of this and other events in Fairtrade Fortnight 2014!
