Scarborough: a Fairtrade Borough
A brief history
In March 2006 a public meeting was held in Westborough Methodist Church to discuss how Scarborough could achieve Fairtrade status. The Scarborough branch of the Mother's Union had been talking about the possibility of achieving Fairtrade status for the town for a number of months.
Chairwoman Doreen Smith said: "I had a chat with Mark Haynes, minister at Westborough and we decided to test the water with a public meeting.
"We were very pleased with the turnout which clearly demonstrated many people in the town felt very strongly about the issue of Fairtrade. It was also evident that this wasn't just about Scarborough. People right across the 'Borough' wanted to be involved."
Many people who attended the meeting volunteered to form a 'Steering Group' and plan a course of action which would eventually lead to the town achieving Fairtrade status.
Over the next two years the Scarborough Fairtrade Action Group and its members across the Borough worked hard to gather the necessary information, to liaise with the Borough Council, to persuade retailers to take on Fairtrade goods, encouraged and informed widely. Chairmanship of the Scarborough Fairtrade Action Group later fell to Diane Robinson whose long hours of working seemingly tirelessly on behalf of Fairtrade were rewarded when, on June 25th 2008, Scarborough was awarded Fairtrade Borough status by the Fairtrade Foundation.
More details of the process can be found in (a href="archive.php" alt="link to archived documents">our archive in due course.
Now the focus changes to maintaining this hard-won distinction. We need still to raise awareness, to see even more Fairtrade goods in a wider range of retail outlets, to be able to enjoy Fairtrade refreshments in hotels, bed & breakfast establishments, cafés, hairdressing salons, solicitors' offices, doctors' and dentists' surgeries, and at work.
Behind all this, of course, are the producers whose lives have been transformed by their adoption into the Fairtrade community. On their behalf, thank you for supporting the Fairtrade movement. Please go on supporting us - and them.