Buckingham UK
The Green Heart of England
A lovely market town to visit, shop and walk around
Buckingham UK - a Fairtrade town
Background
Buckingham UK gained Fairtrade Town status on 15th September 2007 and a certificate was presented to the Mayor, by Margaret Gateley of the Fair trade steering group, witnessed by many members of the Town Council and local Churches, together with towns people and entertainment was provided by the Winslow Concert Band. There was also Fair trade fair in the old gaol.
This represented work that has been going on, largely unnoticed, since the Town Council made a commitment in October 2004 to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee at its meetings and in its offices. A small steering group (Margaret Gateley, Tina Mitchell, Ruth Newell and Valerie Rushton), was formed in May 2005 with the aim of achieving Fairtrade Town status for Buckingham. We were later joined by JanTansley of Oxfam This involved fulfilling 5 goals, set by the Fairtrade Foundation, an organisation dedicated to promoting Fairtrade; all those goals have now been met.
Fairtrade is about making trade fair for people in the poorest countries, ensuring that those who make or grow the products we buy, are able to enjoy the fruits of their labour. This means
- A guaranteed fair price;
- A social premium for investing in the education, health and welfare of the communities involved; (things which we take for granted, such as clean water or a clinic);
- Fair working conditions;
- Long-term relationships where companies help producers through difficult times with advance payments and access to credit facilities;
- A commitment to help raise awareness about the need for more just trading systems in the world.
It is just a small step in the direction of greater fairness in world trade. We hope to build on this process by getting more businesses and community groups on board. Consumers’ increasing demand for Fairtrade products means that more farmers are able to sell more of their produce under Fairtrade terms, strengthening their organizations, building long-term relationships and increasing benefits to their communities. We urge you all to make good use of your spending power by looking out for the Fairtrade logo and choosing that item, thereby contributing to a better future for people in the poorest countries in the world.
Ruth Newell and Margaret Gateley
Retail
- Oxfam, 6 Market Square, Buckingham 01280 823207;
- good range of Fairtrade foods, including tea, coffee, biscuits, chocolate, honey, coffee etc;
- Buckingham Delicatessen, 4-5 Cornwall Place, Buckingham 817111;
- Fairtrade ground coffee and various teas.
- Waitrose, Meadow Walk, Buckingham 01280 813486;
- Fairtrade items include tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar, honey, chocolate, dried fruit, bananas, fruit juice;
- Tesco Superstore, London Rd, Buckingham 0845 6779092;
- Fairtrade items include tea, coffee, bananas, pineapples, oranges, biscuits, orange juice, Geobars.
- Back to Nature, 14 Cornwall Place, Buckingham, MK18 1SB, 01280 812694;
- Fairtrade items include cocoa, drinking chocolate, Roibos tea bags, herbal teas, loose tea, dried mango, coffee, brazil nut oil;
- Wine Rack, Market Square, Buckingham:
- red and white wines.
- The Ethical Food Company, Verney Junction.
- Fairtrade as well as local ethical, organic and local groceries available on-line
Catering
- Cafédirect coffee shop, Verney Park, University of Buckingham;
serves freshly ground Fairtrade coffee and a wide range of other Fairtrade products which are available to eat in or take away. - Buckingham Garden Centre Café offers Fairtrade tea, and is sourcing Fairtrade coffee.
- National Trust Tea Rooms, Stowe Landscape Gardens, Buckingham, MK18 5EH; serve Fairtrade orange juice and apple juice; they also serve fairly traded Matthew Algie tea and coffee.
They sell Green & Blacks chocolate bars and have a strong ethical policy. - Options coffee shop, Well Street Centre, Well Street, Buckingham: sell Fairtrade tea and coffee at their café, which is open from 10.30am-12.30pm Tuesday- Friday; this is a Social Services Project, training adults with learning disabilities, not a business;
- Café Ignite: open at every Saturday from 10am- 12 noon. Sells fairly traded tea and coffee, plus a Traidcraft stall.
- New Inn at Padbury: offers Fairtrade wine and coffee, as well as using Fairtrade ingredients for menus where possible
- The Film Place, University Buildings, Chandos Road. Fairtrade coffee served at all showings, and some Fairtrade snacks available.
Business Users
- Buckingham Old Gaol, Market Hill,
- Buckingham Community Wildlife Project
- Buckingham Festival of Music and Drama
- Buckingham Town Council
- Canvas Art School
- Canvas Art Shop, 9 Market Square, Buckingham
- Duke’s Music shop, 24 Market Hill, Buckingham,
- National Trust Tea Rooms, Stowe Landscape Gardens, Buckingham, MK18 5EH;
- St Peter & St Paul Church
- St Bernadine’s Church, Chandos Road, Buckingham
- Twyford United Reformed Church
- Well Street United Church
Would you like your business or organisation to appear on this list? Change your workplace or business to Fairtrade!
Visit www.fairtradeatwork.org.uk for information on how to switch. Then let the team know: contact Tina Mitchell 814544, Ruth Newell 815229 or Val Rushton 824942.
