Did you know that Camborne has officially been a Fairtrade Community since 2011?
But what does Fairtrade Town status do for Camborne? Here’s the lowdown from Camborne’s tireless Fairtrade Ambassador, Brian Terry …
“It puts Camborne on the map locally. Only Truro and Falmouth had Fairtrade status in Cornwall up till now. Camborne is the third town to achieve this and the first in West Cornwall. It says something about the ethical nature of business in the town and its residents. With over one in five cups of tea and coffee in the UK being Fairtrade, this is an ethical choice that people are making. The positive publicity will help some visitors to Cornwall choose to come to Camborne and then it is up to the businesses in the town to exploit any increase in footfall.
When Camborne is looking to regenerate the town and its centre any accolade can only help, but it is to be hoped that Fairtrade status might attract a new kind of business that actively seeks to exploit the Fairtrade ‘label’. The need to maintain the award can be a focus for development and links directly to other environmental/sustainability issues. Buying Fairtrade is a way of ensuring sustainability and environmental protection in those areas of the world that produce food and raw materials that we simply cannot grow here e.g. bananas, coffee and cotton. We want the same sustainability and environmental aims from supporting local producers. Fairtrade is just a way of acting locally on a global scale!”
Camborne Town Council marks Fairtrade Fortnight every year with a series of events and in 2024, we hosted 2 sold out wine tasting evenings in the Council Chamber in the Passmore Edwards Building along with a chocolate tasting event and a flower arranging event in Camborne Library
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In 2025, the Fairtrade Foundation are running a petition campaign called ‘Brew It Fair’ …
“We drink over 100 million cups of tea every day in Britain alone, and behind every cup we drink, there are millions of people who work hard to nurture and grow the tea leaves. As tea drinkers, we’ve become used to paying very little for our cuppa. In fact, the price of an average tea bag today is as low as two pence! But behind that cup, the cost to grow and pick our tea is increasing – and it’s tea workers who are paying that price. Many of the people behind our tea are not getting a fair deal. They are facing poverty, unsafe working conditions and the mounting threat of climate change. Changing the lives of the people behind the tea we drink requires businesses and politicians to uphold their responsibilities, listen to what these communities need and commit to rebalancing the global trade system we all rely on. Add your voice to Fairtrade’s petition and tell our government to stand with tea workers and work together to ensure a tea industry that is fair for everyone.”
If you would like to support the ‘Brew It Fair’ campaign, head to the Fairtrade Foundation website link here: https://action.fairtrade.org.uk/page/171071/petition/1
