fairtrade chichester

About Us

The Fairtrade Chichester Group was set up in November 2005 by local volunteers with two aims:

• The short–term aim was to achieve Fairtrade City accreditation for Chichester.
• The long-term aim was (and is) to use Fairtrade City accreditation as the springboard for spreading the provision of Fairtrade products in our shops, cafes, businesses, schools and community organisations as widely as possible, and to promote among the people of Chichester the idea of Fairtrade and the role it has in the battle against world poverty.

On 21st November 2006 Chichester was officially awarded Fairtrade City status and the certificate presented to the City Council for public display in the Council House. The Group is recognised by both the Fairtrade Foundation and the City Council as the official Fairtrade Steering Group for Chichester, whose duty is to monitor and promote Fairtrade in the City.

Winning Fairtrade City status is just a beginning. The Steering Group intends to be busy promoting Fairtrade in Chichester for many years to come. They take as their slogan a quotation from Vic Reeves, the Comedian, himself a supporter of Fairtrade who said recently, ‘2005 was a great year for raising awareness for Fairtrade, and it’s important that we keep forging ahead and keep on until it is no longer a conscious choice, but a habit for everyone’.

The group is currently concentrating the campaign on the City of Chichester itself. We are keen, however, to see Fairtrade promotion spreading out to the surrounding communities and happy to work with other Fairtrade Groups in Chichester District as they develop.

Membership of the Steering Group is open to anyone who is committed to promoting the aims of Fairtrade Chichester. All members have the right to be involved in decision-making and have voting rights. The Group currently numbers 12 and includes representatives of local Churches and organisations such as the United Nations Association & Oxfam; representatives from the business community and Chamber of Commerce; City Council representatives; and private individuals, from different walks of life, who are involved simply because they believe in Fairtrade and the role it can play in alleviating poverty in the World.

If you would like to join Fairtrade Chichester or find out more about us, please contact us