Woking Fairtrade Action Network: WELCOME PAGE

News update 20 February 2010

Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 22 Feb - 7 Mar

The focus this year is tea. So we are pleased to invite you to join us for

Strictly Fairtrade Tea Dance
University Hall
Surrey University Campus
Guildford
Sat 27^th February, 4 - 8 pm

Tickets are £4 from the University Box Office (01483 686876) or store©surrey.ac.uk

This will be a fun event with a competitive element. We are organising it with the Guildford Fairtrade group and are looking for teams from both Woking and Guildford to perform dances which will be judged.

So if you know anyone who likes to dance (it doesn't have to be ballroom) and who would like to enter a team to do a (max) 3 minute piece, then please get in touch.

There will be 2 categories: one for people who do do a bit of dancing; and one for complete amateurs - maybe workplace teams etc.. We will of course be hoping that Woking make a good show!

Even if you don't dance, please put this in your diary! There will be some demonstrations for us all to watch, Fairtrade tea tasting, live music, competition dances to watch and a slot for everyone who wants to have a go.

If any of you would like to help by baking a cake, making tea etc., then please do get in touch. We would love to have new volunteers.

You will also need to register your interest in having tickets as numbers will be limited (there will be a small charge for these).

Our aim is to improve the lives of tea pickers who will benefit by more tea companies becoming Fairtrade buyers through our efforts.

Further info: ussufairtrade©surrey.ac.uk

Saturday 6th March
Woking group will have a stall in Mercia Walk just off the town square throughout the day.

Harvest of Hope - A Taste of West Africa
Saturday 20th March 7pm

This event comprises an evening of reflecting on the struggles and hopes of Christian Aid Partners in Senegal, with singer songwriter and storyteller Martin John Nicholls at Christ Church, Woking. A West Arfrican style meal is included. Tickets £10 (Enquiries to admin©christchurchwoking.org)

Fairtrade banner made by schools

We would love to have another chance to show it off our fantastic banner, made some time ago from entries to our competition by local schools. So if you have an event at which you could display it, contact Becca. Just bear in mind it is very large: 30m x 1.5m.

The message is the Fairtrade Fortnight slogan from that year: Change Today – Choose Fairtrade.

What is FAIRTRADE? Through selective buying, you can ensure that the producers at the bottom of the supply chain, such as poor farmers, get a fairer share of the money you spend on their goods. [More on Fairtrade]
What is the WOKING FAIRTRADE ACTION NETWORK? Our Network promotes the use of Fairtrade products in the borough of Woking. We made Woking a Fairtrade Town.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2010 -
THE REST OF SURREY

The Strictly Fairtrade Tea dance (see left column) will be our launch event for a Surrey campaign.

Thursday 25th February

Taysir Arabesi will be speaking at Godalming Friends Meeting House at 7.30pm at an event hosted by Guildford Peace and Justice. Taysir is Zaytoun's Director in Palestine. He lives in Salfeet district which is an area highly dependent on olive cultivation and one which has seen much of its rich agricultural resources stolen through the construction of the illegal settlements. He has been working with community agricultural projects for the last ten years and has been instrumental in the grass roots campaigning against the building of the illegal annexation wall in the West Bank. Taysir is a passionate speaker about the rights of the small farmer and of the Palestinian people and an advocate of the power of fair trade.

Friday 26th February

Taysir will be speaking again at an event hosted by members of the Shah Jahan mosque in Woking from 6pm.

Guildford Fairtrade Steering Group and Zonta Club Guildford have combined forces to hold a Fairtrade wine tasting evening, supporting by Guildford Borough Council, between 7.30pm and 9.30pm. Zonta is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy. Come to Guildford Trinity Centre, 6 Trinity Church yard, GU1 3RR.

Saturday 27th February 10am

Big Brew tea and coffee tasting morning between 10am and 12 am at St. Nicholas church Great Bookham (Pastoral centre)

'Swap It' street event in Addlestone by the main roundabout in the town centre

Leatherhead's Steering group have organized displays of Traidcraft goods to run through Fairtrade Fortnight in the new Fairtrade "All Stars Café" in the Theatre in Church Street, Leatherhead, and will be running a coffee and tea tasting between 10am and 12 noon on the Saturday morning.

Paul Chandler, Chief Executive of Traidcraft will be speaking at Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University. Event starts at 10am. Contact Moyna Bridge from Oxted on 01883 716257 for more information.

Guildford and Woking Strictly Fairtrade Tea Dance at the University, 4-8pm. PLEASE SEE COLUMN TO THE LEFT FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Sunday 28th February

Tatsfield - OUR NEWEST FAIRTRADE VILLAGE - will be celebrating being awarded Fairtrade Village Status on in Tatsfield Village Hall at 7pm. Please call Hilary Harber on 01959 577949 if you wish to attend.

Lingfield and Dormansland is organising a Mad Hatters Tea Party for February at Lingfield Community Centre

Big Swap tea party at 50 Row Town.

Saturday 6th March

'Swap It' street event in Addlestone outside Tesco's.

22 February - 7 March

In the new FT 'All Stars Cafe' in The Theatre, Church Street, Leatherhead (just off the High Street), there will be additional displays of Traidcraft goods etc, posters, leaflets and a CD running during the fortnight. Several of us will be there from 10am - 12noon to offer coffee and tea tasting during the morning.

St. Pauls church Camberley will have stalls for Fairtrade food, handbags and clothes after Sunday morning services through Fairtrade Fortnight (i.e. between 10.30am and 11am, and again between 12.15pm and 1pm).
»Posted by Becca | 14 Jan 2010 | Updated 20 Feb

Surrey County Fairtrade Meeting ...
Saturday 7 November 2009, 1-5 pm

FAIRTRADE ACROSS SURREY poster

More than 40 Fairtrade campaigners met on November 7th to discuss how we can work together more across Surrey. One of the exciting outcomes was that a decision was made to start moving forward with trying to get Fairtrade County status for Surrey.

This will probably take several years but will raise the profile of Fairtrade to a higher level. A Steering Group is being set up to help move forward and the first meeting will be on Tuesday 26th January at the University of Surrey. Representatives of each District and Borough across Surrey are being invited as well as Council representatives.

As a result of the November get-together several Fairtrade groups decided to work together for specific events. The Strictly Fairtrade Tea Dance is an example of such an initiative, with Guildford Fairtrade, Woking Fairtrade and the University group all working together on this single event.

»Posted by Becca | 08 Jul 2009 update 14 Jan 2010

WFAN Steering group meetings

Please see red box bottom left of screen for steering group info.

Woking Successfully Renews Fairtrade Town Status

Having originally been granted Fairtrade Town status in October 2005, we were required to renew this status after 2 years to ensure Woking still meets the criteria set by the Fairtrade Foundation.

We heard in July 2008 that we had been successful and were complimented on our schools work and the efforts to engage with members of the mosque in particular. For a copy of the letter from the Fairtrade Foundation click here. »Posted by Becca | 23 July 2008

Photo: the Mayor & Billie at the 2005 celebration reception at Trinity Methodist Church. Attendees included many of the local councilors, representatives of shops and cafés selling fairly traded goods, churches and community groups using Fairtrade products and Fairtrade supporters from across the Borough.

(click to enlarge)

Some past news items

PHOTOS