July 2011

 

Perhaps appropriately the first campaign of the season comes from Garstang, the world’s first Fair Trade Town, during a British walking summer.

 

The Fair Trade Way is a long distance footpath that stretches over 80 miles (130 km) from Garstang to Keswick in the Fairtrade County of Cumbria in the UK. This six day walk that starts and finishes in Fairtrade Towns also includes overnight stays in the Fairtrade Towns of Lancaster, Arnside, Kendal, Windermere and Grasmere.

 

Fairtrade campaigners first walked the route in 2009 to show that it was possible to walk between Fairtrade Towns, while eating and drinking Fairtrade products and staying in guest houses and hostels that support Fairtrade. Thanks to sponsorship from the co-operative and two years of route planning and historical research the Fair Trade Way was officially launched during the UK Fairtrade Fortnight in 2011. Particularly aimed at ramblers the campaign hopes to lead many others to take the Fair Trade Way and adopt a Fairtrade lifestyle.

 

Throughout history campaign messages have been brought to the attention of the masses by organised walks or marches; from Mahatma Ghandi’s Salt March in India to the farmers march in Nicaragua to protest about the disastrous fall in coffee prices. The Fair Trade Way literally provides the next step to link Fair Trade Towns together and help to keep up the momentum of a campaign once Fair Trade Town status has been achieved.

 

There are already moves to extend the Fair Trade Way in a southerly direction towards Wales, the first Fair Trade Nation and eastward along the World Heritage Site Hadrian’s wall, which became the first cross-country Fairtrade zone in 2010. The aim is to eventually create a circular footpath around the UK linking Fairtrade Town to Fairtrade Town. Interest has also been shown internationally so who knows where the Fair Trade Way will end up?

 

Visit the Fair Trade Way website at: www.fairtradeway.org.uk