Garstang, the world's first Fair Trade Town - April 2000

After almost a decade of campaigning on Fair Trade and other international development issues the local Oxfam Group in Garstang, UK had an idea. They invited all the key community players; the mayor, heads of schools, faith group leaders and business owners to a meal and asked them to sign a pledge to buy and use Fair Trade and local produce. With the mayor, all the schools and faith groups and eventually 95% of all businesses signing the pledge the people of Garstang declared their town the world's first Fair Trade Town at a Public Meeting in April 2000. George Foulkes MP, former Under Secretary of State later said: “The beacon that has started in Garstang can spread like wildfire through the whole country and beyond.” Nobody at the time could have predicted how prophetic those words would prove to be.

Welcome to the home of the international Fair Trade Town movement. Communities across the world are working to promote Fair Trade in their area, in order to enable more farmers and workers to get a better deal. In the process many communities are meeting goals to become recognised as a Fair Trade Town. Here, you can become involved and share resources and top tips from over 1,850 Fair Trade Town campaigns in 30 countries across the globe.

National FT Town Campaigns - 1,850 Fair Trade Towns in 30 countries