Mayor of Kirklees visits Fairtrade Conference!

We were delighted to welcome Gwen Lowe, Councillor for Batley West, and The Mayor of Kirklees to our Fairtrade Conference for Secondary Schools at Honley High School during Fairtrade Fortnight. Her closing remarks at the close of conference were perfect and deserve to be heard by all:

“Being the Mayor and consort of Kirklees gives us the most amazing opportunity to go to places and attend events that we may never have had the chance to do. We get to see so much, hear so much, learn so much and meet the most wonderful people that we would not have had the chance to meet – and now this includes all of you today.

When we received the invite to this, the fairandfunky Fairtrade Conference, straight away I thought, I love those words! This is going to be such a great event to visit!

It’s so heart-warming to know that our young people are genuinely interested in the wider picture. Thinking about the people behind the products they buy and use every day. As a “chocaholic” I know that when shopping I should be pausing a while, asking myself lots of questions:

• Whose hand actually planted the cocoa bean tree?
• Who actually plucked the cocoa pod from that tree?
• What is life actually like for those involved in that supply chain and the journey to eventually get that bar of chocolate safely into my sticky hand?

All this is just so easy to take for granted……..

If we all do our own little bit to support Fairtrade, all these little bits can add up to a great big bit! Helping to improve the lives of the farmers, their families and their communities. We do all have the power to make a positive difference in the world. By what we buy, what we wear, how we act, what we do. And it’s up to us all to encourage and empower others to do likewise.

A big thank you to fairandfunky for running this inspirational event today. Once again, Ken and I have seen so much, heard so much and learnt so much.

CONGRATULATIONS to all our fantastic young people who have taken part in the brilliant fairandfunky Fairtrade Conference. For doing your own little bit to change the world. And may I leave you with this: ‘The future depends on what we do in the present. And whilst we have living in the present, we must celebrate life every day, know that we are becoming history with every work, every action, every deed.’”

Take your step to make change today. Click here to sign the Fairtrade Foundation’s petition to back cocoa farmer’s fight for a living income.