Parish to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight

Towards the end of 2018,  Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Lourdes received recognised status as Fairtrade Churches by the Fairtrade Foundation.  The Parish has committed to using Fairtrade products where possible for refreshments and to promote Fairtrade Fortnight which this year runs from 25 February to 10 March.  Fairtrade stalls are held in the churches on the first Saturday/Sunday of the month, and you can buy fairtrade goods after each Mass.

The focus this year for Fairtrade is on the people – in particular the women – who grow the cocoa in the chocolate we love so much. 

£1.86 is the amount a cocoa farmer in West Africa needs to earn each day in order to achieve a living income. Currently, a typical cocoa farmer in Cote d’Ivoire lives on around 74p a day. Almost all cocoa farmers in West Africa live in poverty.

For the women the situation is even worse. They may plant and harvest on the farm, look after children, carry water, collect wood, cook and clean for the family, and transport the cocoa beans to market but often with fewer rights than men.  

Please buy goods from the Fairtrade stalls in the Churches after Mass – and remember to look out for the Fairtrade Symbol when you are shopping in the supermarkets.  In particular, to support the Fairtrade focus this year,  please buy only Fairtrade Chocolate but also Fairtrade tea and coffee – and the Fairtrade wines which are now available are particularly good.