Press Release

Become a Golden Supporter

For Immediate Release: Tue 2nd March 2004

Photo Opportunity: Saturday 6th March 2004, New Street (Vic Sq. end), Birmingham City Centre, 2pm: Teams of contestants in fancy dress gather with Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigners before setting off on the Fairtrade Treasure Hunt. Same place 3.30pm: the winning team receives the First Prize.

On the Fairtrade Treasure Trail

A Fairtrade Treasure Hunt, organised by Birmingham Friends of the Earth, will take place on Saturday 6th March in the City as part of Fairtrade Fortnight.1 Teams of contestants, some in fancy dress, will follow a trail of City Centre cafés and shops2 (each of which stocks at least one Fairtrade product), hunting down pieces of a Treasure Map to claim a Fairtrade Reward. 3

The Treasure Hunt will begin and end in New Street where Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigners will co-ordinate the event and distribute prizes at 3.30pm. First Prize will be a hamper of Fairtrade goodies; runners up can choose from a variety of Fairtrade products, and there will be an extra prize for the best fancy dress.

Although the prices we pay for such things as coffee, tea, and chocolate have not risen in real terms over the last forty years, the costs of production in the developing world has risen substantially. Farmers and growers are having to work harder and longer for less money; many are forced into crippling debt or may even have to leave their land and homes altogether when, as happens frequently, market prices take a downturn.

Birmingham Friends of the Earth campaigner Sara Forti said:

"The Treasure Hunt will be a fun event but there's a serious message behind it too. Fairtrade guarantees farmers and workers decent working conditions, fair terms of trade, and a stable price which covers their production costs. Crucially, Fairtrade organisations can often pay up to 50% of the price in advance, releasing families from years of debt. They also provide a premium that producers can reinvest either in their business or in helping their local community and environment. So Fairtrade can make a big impact on people's day-to-day life, securing a better future for them and their families."

Birmingham Friends of the Earth is a member of Fairtrade Association Birmingham (FAB), a new coalition of local groups4 working with the City Council to achieve Fairtrade City status5 for Birmingham this year.

Miss Forti added:

"If Birmingham achieves Fairtrade City status it will be the largest local authority in Europe to be awarded the distinction so far. We might not be the European Capital of Culture, but we can still be the Fairtrade Capital of Europe!"

Editor's Notes

To find out about other events happening in Birmingham during Fairtrade Fortnight, call Lorraine Cookson of the Birmingham City Council Sustainability Team on: 0121 303 5449

[2] The shops and cafés participating in the Treasure Hunt are:

• Shops One Earth Shop, 54 Allison Street; Carrs Lane Church Centre, Carrs Lane; Oxfam shop, 95 Corporation Street; Shared Earth, 87 New Street.
  
• Cafés The Warehouse Café, 54 Allison Street; Oxfam Café, 95 Corporation Street;

St Martins in the Bullring; Starbucks, Bullring, Colmore Row, New Street, Eden Place, High Street; Costa Coffee (Waterstones), 128 New Street; Pret a Manger, 52 New Street; Edwardian Tea Rooms (Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery), Chamberlain Square.

[3] The Fairtrade Treasure Hunt is FREE to enter. You will need to be in a team of up to 4 people. Come to the Birmingham Friends of the Earth stall in New Street on Sat 6th March at 2pm and you will receive a map of the City Centre showing the shops and cafés on the trail. Follow the trail to collect the pieces of the Treasure Map. Finally, locate the treasure by 3.30pm and claim your reward back at the Birmingham FoE stall in New Street.

To register your team for the day contact Birmingham Friends of the Earth on 0121 632 6909.

[4] The organisations that make up Fairtrade Association Birmingham (FAB) include: Midlands Co-op, Oxfam, Birmingham City Council's sustainability team, Birmingham University's Ethical Trade Society and People and Planet group, Tradecraft, the Trade Justice Movement, the Women's Environmental Network, Birmingham Friends of the Earth, as well as several Christian organizations and dioceses.

[5] In order to achieve Fairtrade City status, Birmingham must meet the Fairtrade Foundation's five targets:

1. The City Council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and agree to serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in its offices and canteens;
   
2. Identify at least 100 shops and 50 cafés where a range of Fairtrade products are readily available;
   
3. Make Fairtrade products available in several workplaces and community organisations;
   
4. Spread the word about the campaign to the public and local media;
   
5. Set up a local Fairtrade steering group.

For more information about Fairtrade visit the Fairtrade Foundation website www.fairtrade.org.uk, call 020 7405 5942 or email mail@fairtrade.org.uk.

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