Making Fairtrade your business (continued)

Perth City Fairtrade Steering group was set up in March 2005 following an awareness seminar and comprises representatives from voluntary, private and public organizations as follows:

Businesses: John Ritchie & Kate Wood (Highland Health Store), John Bruce (The Bean Shop), Derek Everett & Morag Young (The Manna House), David Buchan (Spring Fine Foods), Andy Beatson & Pat Beatson (Scottish Co-op elected members).

Voluntary organisations: Pat Doyle, Morag Green & Marion Macdonald (Traid Craft Group, St Matthews Church), Marjorie Clark (Christian Aid), Jillian Milne (Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Association).

Public organisations: Cllr Peter Barrett, Alison Seggie, Serge Merone (Perth and Kinross Council), Louise Wight (Perth City Centre Partnership).

The Steering Group agreed an action plan to take forward agreed activities to maintain and develop Fairtrade status. The plan is focusing on four strategic objectives and over the past year, the Steering has recorded many achievements under each objective.

Availability - To increase Fairtrade product availability in shops and cafés:

The Fairtrade Foundation & Consumer Magazine have been identified as the best sources of information on suppliers and products, and surveys have been sent to retail and catering outlets to produce a directory of outlets serving and/or selling Fairtrade Products. A full list is attached.

Use - To increase business and organisational use of Fairtrade products:

Surveys have been sent to organisations and businesses using Fairtrade products to produce a directory.

Large employers such as Norwich Union, Perth Royal Infirmary, Perth and Kinross Council, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Executive Environment, Rural and Agriculture Department local offices or VisitScotland Perthshire are already using and serving Fairtrade products at their canteens, vending machines or meetings.

Organisations such as local churches, voluntary organisations are also using and serving Fairtrade products at their meetings or special events.

Awareness - To raise awareness in the media and the general public:

The Perth City Fairtrade Campaign has led to a number of articles in the local press and links have been made with the schools through the Eco-Schools Network.

Surveys have been sent to secondary and primary schools to raise awareness.

Secondary schools' students launched a successful campaign to make available Fairtrade products in their schools. Perth and Kinross Council in partnership with its contractor 'Tayside Contracts' undertook an option appraisal of the Fairtrade goods available and suitable to school meals service within the context of healthy eating and food intolerances. Certain Fairtrade products such as dried fruits, fruit juices and chocolate bars are now available in all secondary schools in Perth and Perth and Kinross area.

Partnership - To bring added value by developing joint working and networking:

A successful national Fairtrade seminar was organised in June 2005 in Perth just before the G8 Summit which was taken place a few miles away at Gleneagles. Participants came from all over Scotland and were addressed by John McAllion (Oxfam), Scottish Minister Patricia Fergusson and Simeon Greene (Winward bananas). An exhibition of Fairtrade products and Fairtrade initiatives was organised with great success. Participants took the opportunity to propose to the Minister the creation of a Scottish Fairtrade Forum who supported the idea.

Perth and Kinross Quality of Life Trust, a local trust supporting sustainable development, agreed to act as the point of contact for Perth City in a supporting and facilitating role and recognised achievements at its 'Think Global, Act Local 2005' event in September 2005 (photo 4).

Contacts have been developed with other Fairtrade groups within Perth and Kinross in Aberfeldy and Kinross-shire. Aberfeldy become the first Fairtrade Town in Scotland in November 2002 and Kinross-shire became a Faitrade County in August 2005.

An information hub has been developed through webpages on different linked websites where action plan, activities, news and contact are available.

Councillor Peter Barrett, Steering Group member thinking of the future said: "We were all delighted that application for Fairtrade status for the City of Perth was successful prior to the G8 summit in July 2005. Our next challenges will be to further increase awareness and availability of Fairtrade products in our shops, businesses, workplaces and schools".

If you would like to help the Steering group or have more local information and news, please visit Perth and Kinross Quality of Life Trust's website on www.quality-of-life-trust.org.uk or send us an email.

If you are looking for Fairtrade products to use at your school, church or workplace, contact the retail outlets attached or the following local suppliers:

St Matthews Church Traidcraft Group (email) or Spring Fine Foods (email)

Do your bit and be Fair in Perth: buy and sell Fairtrade products and tell your suppliers, your customers, your family, friends and colleagues to use Fairtrade products.