STOKESLEY and Ayton FairTrade group are helping to link women who pick tea leaf by leaf, Stokesley school children who are producing posters and essays, Co-operative Society stores, foodbanks and a FairTrade festival.

It is FairTrade Fortnight and the local group for Stokesley and Ayton are inviting readers to donate FairTrade products to the Foodbank collection boxes.

There are FairTrade stands in Stokesley and Great Ayton Co-ops. The group congratulate primary and secondary children who have created brilliant posters and essays about FairTrade.

Eileen Driver, from the FairTrade Group, said: “It’s a team effort between our members, the local schools and all the Co-ops in Ayton and Stokesley. They are all highlighting how FairTrade guarantees fair prices for producers of what we consume such as tea, coffee, sugar and chocolate. Without FairTrade, many producers could not earn a fair price or have the FairTrade Premium, which helps the producers to create clean water or schools in their communities. When readers enjoy a cup of 99 Blend tea they are supporting over 12,000 tea farmers in Kenya. There’s a choice we all make.... choose FairTrade.”

Steven Lee, Team Manager at the Springfield Co-op in Stokesley said “The Co-op has been supporting Fairtrade for over 25 years and we are thrilled to be part of a community that values its impact as much as we do. Raising awareness is vital to growing the popularity of Fairtrade and ensuring a fair price for our producers, so we are grateful for the fantastic work the Stokesley community has done ahead of Fairtrade Fortnight.”