Holme Valley Fairtrade was awarded second place in Best Media Campaign at the annual Fairtrade Campaign Awards which took place at the Fairtrade Foundation’s National Supporter Conference in London last weekend.
 
The group was recognised for their commitment to raising awareness about the principles and values of Fairtrade in their local community during Fairtrade Fortnight 2015, a highlighted campaign for the grassroots movement in the UK.
 
During Fairtrade Fortnight 2015 Holme Valley Fairtrade members, Social Progress displayed a 5ft inflatable Fairtrade Banana and Mug of Fairtrade Tea outside their Honley Bridge Office. Within 48 hours the Banana went missing so they launched the “#MissingBanana” campaign. Through the various channels of social media and a few tongue-in-cheek posters, they called upon the help of the locals as well as Honley High School. Within another 48 hours students from the school spotted the banana in the river! The campaign was an opportunity to turn something negative into something positive. We’re pleased to say that it helped to raise the profile of Fairtrade and Fairtrade Fortnight through the use of the hashtags #FairtradeFortnight and #FairtradeMatters on social media – and the story reached the local press too!
 
On receiving the award, Helen Robinson from Holme Valley Fairtrade said:  “We are so proud and excited to be runners up for the award - so much so that you’d think we came first! The best thing to come out of the #MissingBanana campaign is a new partnership with the High School, we’re looking forward to working together in Fairtrade Fortnight 2016, and maybe actually WIN next year!”
 
 
Adam Gardner, Communities Campaigns Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: "We are very grateful to Holme Valley Fairtrade for their valuable support to farmers and workers around the globe who are continuously working hard to bring us the products we love. All too often these communities are not receiving a fair price for their work, but campaigners from the Holme Valley have shown their dedication to this cause. It’s so important for communities to get involved and let their voice be heard.
 
The one day conference in London brought together campaigners from across the UK, Fairtrade producers and experts in global development. The day featured a sneak peek into the Fairtrade Foundation’s 2016-2020 strategy, innovative and informative workshops and the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight 2016, among many other items. 
 
Fairtrade has paved the way for sustainable trading by providing a safety net for world’s poorest farmers against volatile market prices, and the Fairtrade Premium to invest in vital community, business and environmental projects.
 
The UK has one of the most powerful networks of Fairtrade campaigners in the world, including over 600 Fairtrade Towns, 1350 Fairtrade Schools and 170 Fairtrade Universities, and 7,500 Fairtrade places of worship.

Back in 2011 the campaign for Fairtrade Fortnight was focussed on cotton and Holme Valley Fairtrade created a celebrity signed cotton bag exhibition as part of the celebrations! This eclectic  exhibition now contains 46 celebrity signed cotton bags (see list below!) and each individual bag is being raffled to raise much needed funds for Holme Valley Fairtrade, as well as raising awareness about Fairtrade cotton.
 
Four years on from the original campaign and there is still the need to raise awareness. “The price of cotton has slumped in the last 30 years, even though the cost of producing it has risen and that means farmers in places like India, Kyrgyzstan and West Africa are struggling to survive. As many as 100 million households are directly engaged in cotton production and an estimated 300 million people work in the cotton sector when family labour, farm labour and workers in ancillary services such as transportation, ginning, baling and storage are taken into account. For farmers, the challenges range from the impact of climate change, poor prices for seed cotton, through to competition from highly subsidised producers in rich countries and poor terms of trade. In particular, government subsidies for cotton farmers in rich countries, particularly the US, create a market with artificially low prices that small-scale farmers are unable to compete in.” The Fairtrade Foundation (see full article: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/en/farmers-and-workers/cotton) 
 
Fairtrade provides a lifeline to farmers ensuring that they are paid a guaranteed minimum price for their cotton crop which has been calculated to cover the sustainable costs of production. They also receive additional money, the Fairtrade premium, to invest in community projects. Fairtrade is an effective development tool in that it gives small-scale farmers access to global markets as well as helping them to work their way out of poverty. Buying or producing a product made from Fairtrade certified cotton contributes to fighting poverty and to sustainable development for some of the world's most marginalised cotton farmers.
 
“There's no difference in quality between Fairtrade cotton and normal cotton. The real difference is that the person at the very bottom of the textile supply chain who has grown the cotton has been paid a fair price for his crop. It is not the finished fabric or item of clothing but cotton itself which is Fairtrade certified.” Taken from www.KoolSkools.co.uk
 
So, will you ‘Cotton on to Fairtrade’ and bag a celebrity?
 
To be in with a chance of winning a bag you have to have a ticket, so follow Holme Valley Fairtrade on facebook and twitter to discover where the exhibition will be in the run up to the final event! ‘Cotton on To Fairtrade’ will tour around the Holme Valley until Fairtrade Fortnight 2016. On Thursday March 3rd 2016 the bags will finally find new homes in the ‘Grand Cotton on to Fairtrade Raffle!’ at The Huntsman Inn, Holmfirth.
 
If you live/work in the Holme Valley and would like to host the ‘Cotton on to Fairtrade’ exhibition and sell raffle tickets please email holmevalleyfairtrade@gmail.com for more information.
 
List of celebrity signed bags:
Alan Bennett , Annie Lennox, Ashley Jackson, Brian Murphy, Burt Kwouk OBE, Caroline Lucas MP, Corrine Bailey Rae, David Cameron MP, Doctor Simpo, Fearne Cotton, George Alagiah OBE, Geoffrey Boycott, Harriet Lamb, Hilary Benn M,  Huddersfield Giants Rugby Club, Huddersfield Town AFC, Ian McMillan, Jane Freeman, Jason McCartney MP, Jean Alexander, Joan Armatrading MBE, Jean Fergusson, Joanna Lumley OBE, Julie Stewart-Turner, Linda McAvan MEP, Lucy Siegle, Marillion, Marina Lewycka,  Mike Gidney, Sir Patrick Stewart OBE, Rowan Williams, Roy Clarke OBE, Russ Abbot, Safia Minney MBE, Sam Ubhi, Sian Lloyd, Simon Armitage CBE, Sir Steve Redgrave CBE, Shobna Gulati,  and Thelma Barlow.
 
Bags also signed by the following Fairtrade producers and local churches:  Alex Yeboah-Afari – Fairtrade Africa,  Anna Michael – Tanzanian Fairtrade Coffee Farmer, D. Chibonga – Fairtrade Nut Farmer (NASFAM), Merling Prezza – Nicaraguan Fairtrade Coffee Farmer,  Wettaka Jenipher – Ugandan Coffee Farmer, Holmfirth Methodist Church Members and Meltham Methodist Church Members.
 
To see the photo gallery (coming soon!) of the exhibition please visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/holmevalleyfairtrade
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