What the awfully nice people at Fairtrade Central said about us when we renewed in 2019
Congratulations! We’re glad to let you know that your Fairtrade Town renewal for Leighton Linslade has been successful. It’s been fantastic to hear about everything that you have achieved in the past few years. Your group has demonstrated dedication to take your campaign forward and ensure Fairtrade becomes part of daily life in Leighton Linslade.
Thank you very much for sharing with us the progress you have made on your various campaigns, your team has no doubt been very busy and we appreciate the hard work you have put in. We were particularly impressed by your media engagement and the audience you have captured on your Facebook and Twitter pages, well done! Being able to regularly update your community on the various Fairtrade campaigns will no doubt further increase the successes of your work. Looking to the future, with your town’s experience as a Fairtrade town for nearly 15 years we see you holding potential in advising smaller neighbouring Fairtrade groups who may still be finding their feet. You may find that by collaborating with these smaller groups can help you establish bigger events such as during Fortnight and you both will be able to benefit from community collaborations.
You should soon receive in the post your new Fairtrade Town renewal certificate. Your next renewal will be due on 04/04/2021.
To become a Fairtrade Town
(or any other populated area), 5 goals must be met:
1) The local council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in offices and canteens.
2) A range of Fairtrade products must be readily available in the area’s shops and served in local cafés and catering establishments (targets are set in relation to population).
3) Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local work places (estate agents, hairdressers etc) and community organisations (churches, schools etc).
4) Attract media coverage and popular support for the campaign.
5) A local Fairtrade steering group must be convened to ensure continued commitment to Fairtrade Town status.
What the awfully nice people at Fairtrade Central said about us when we renewed in 2017
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Congratulations to you and your group for successfully renewing Fairtrade Town status for Leighton - Linslade.
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We have enjoyed hearing about everything that you have achieved since your town last renewed Fairtrade status. It is clear that a lot of time and energy has been put in to make Fairtrade a part of the community, so we would like to pass on our congratulations and say thank you to everyone who has been involved. From your renewal form it is apparent that Fairtrade is continuing to grow in 2017 and we were particularly impressed with your immense range and scale of activities.
Your group is a great example of how a strong relationship with the council can enable even more outreach. Hand delivering invitations to all the councillors shows the sort of determination only seen in a few campaigning groups and it has clearly paid dividends in the council’s initiative to redesign the Fairtrade signs and offer a grant. Your effective use of this grant to deliver assemblies, workshops and other activities at local lower schools and uniformed groups and also your engagement with other local groups such as the National Women’s Register, Ladies Trefoil, a Women’s Institute and local churches is truly exceptional.
Your events and activities must have been particularly effective because of their incredible variety. From the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ at the canal festival to your market stall and your smoothie bike to your ‘Stock it’ cards and poster competition it is obvious you have managed to keep Fairtrade at the center of attention! It also seems that many different stakeholders have come together through your efforts to promote Fairtrade which is always a pleasure to hear! Getting support from your local MP and ‘Off the Rails’ was an inspired idea.
Looking to the future, we are excited at your plans to deliver a programme of talks and interactive activities to uniformed groups such as Girl Guides and Scouts and other groups such as WI. Encouraging churches to re-pledge their Fairtrade commitment is a very important way to strengthen grassroots support in the community. We love your idea to develop two product specific school boxes and would be interested in sharing your work with other campaigning groups. Your plan to create a mascot that can be used at community events and in competitions sounds great fun.