Campaigners fighting for a better deal for producers in the developing world are staging a walk for Fairtrade this Saturday, and they are seeking people to join them.
The route is from Haworth to Denholme, leaving from Haworth Old Hall, at the bottom of Main Street, at 12.30pm.
From noon, there will be a Fairtrade breakfast buffet in the Old Hall, which people are also welcome to attend.
The organisers say Saturday’s trek will comprise one leg of the Fair Trade Way. This is a scenic, circular walking route linking all the Fairtrade villages and towns in the district, including Bradford, Bingley, Shipley, Baildon, Burley, Ilkley, Haworth, Denholme and Thornton.
There is no charge to take part, but people should register their interest by calling (01535) 647776, or e-mailing rita@ soniassmile.com.
The walk is about four miles and the Denholme Fairtrade Group will welcome participants at the Denholme Mechanics’ Institute with Fairtrade refreshments.
Last Saturday, 35 people – and one dachshund dog – enjoyed another Fairtrade walk, which followed routes from Ilkley to Keighley, Haworth or Addingham.
Rita Verity, of Haworth Fairtrade, said: “We were really lucky that the weather held up and we had a very good turnout. Bruce Crowther, who invented the whole idea of Fairtrade towns, joined us on the walk. He absolutely loved it. We were privileged to have him.”
Participants enjoyed lunch at Keighley’s Quaker Meeting House. The meal was arranged by Keighley Interbeing and £47 was donated to Buddhist Global Relief.
The walkers then travelled to Haworth on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. They were welcomed in Haworth by the Rainbow Morris dancers and members of Hebden Bridge Fairtrade Group who had walked ten miles from their own town.
The day also included a celebration at Haworth Old Hall and ended with a short play in Haworth Parish Church which connected the world of the Brontes with the issue of modern Fairtrade.
Karen Palframan, the chairman of Bradford Fairtrade Zone, said the play included the character of parson Patrick Bronte, who told his audience of the desperate plight of his parishioners suffering from ill health and poverty.
Ms Palframan said: “This linked to a scene with a 21st-century banana farmer in Ecuador who had suffered in a similar way until being able to join the Fairtrade system. This poignant play aptly demonstrated how Fairtrade is addressing the lack of workers’ rights in many developing countries and helping to lift farmers and workers out of poverty.”
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