Minister and church community go bananas to highlight Fairtrade Fortnight

Intrepid clergyman the Rev Kevin Price of Wellspring Church, hit the snowy streets of Wirksworth on Saturday dressed as a giant banana to highlight Fairtrade Fortnight.
The Rev Kevin Price of Wellspring Church, Wirksworth, hit the streets to promote Fairtrade Fortnight.The Rev Kevin Price of Wellspring Church, Wirksworth, hit the streets to promote Fairtrade Fortnight.
The Rev Kevin Price of Wellspring Church, Wirksworth, hit the streets to promote Fairtrade Fortnight.

Kevin and other people from the church were out and about in town to give away bananas and a leaflet explaining the importance of Fairtrade for fruit growers and producers.

Launching the event at Wellspring, Kevin said that while one in every three bananas now bought in the UK is a Fairtrade banana, thousands of workers in some of the world’s poorest countries are still at the mercy of Britain’s supermarket price wars. Over the last ten years, the retail price of bananas has fallen by 40%, while the cost of production in some regions has doubled. “This means that many banana workers can’t afford the things we take for granted,” said Kevin. “Decent homes and well-equipped schools for their children are simply beyond their means.”

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The bananas were supplied by the local branch of the Central England Co-op, whose assistant manager Josh Dennis said, “We’re very proud to have been the first supermarket in the UK to sell Fairtrade bananas. There are now 22,000 farmers benefitting from the Fairtrade system, with a minimum price guarantee and a Fairtrade premium on top.”

Wirksworth has been officially designated a Fair Trade Town, and this event by Wellspring was a reminder that we are urged by The Fairtrade Foundation to buy our Fairtrade bananas from the Co-op, Waitrose and Sainsburys, and to demonstrate the power of the market by asking for Fairtrade goods wherever we shop.