As we reported previously this year's Fair Trade Fair was a huge success but we thought you'd like to see some fun facts about the event.
We sold 60 pairs of socks - yes sixty pairs. Customers snapped up at least 170 packs of Traidcraft Christmas Cards. 18 scarves went off to new homes - and who can be surprised when helpers displayed them so beautifully in the Chapel? Then there were 45 pairs of silver & silver plated earrings and other jewellery and 16 items to carry things in including jute shoppers, shoulder bags and large purses.
In addition to the huge range of food and beverages sold there were many very lovely handmade crafted items from places ranging from India & Bangladesh through Mauritius and Sri Lanka and Indonesia and Palestine to a wide variety of locations in Africa and in South America.
At least 30 people were involved involved in the ordering of stock and pricing up and preparations before the event and/or the setting out of the beautiful displays and/or the serving, filling up, welcoming, supervising in the Chapel and refreshment making, not to mention those who valiantly pitched in to clear away at speed at the end of the event to leave the Foyer, Consulting Room and Chapel ready for use the next day. Many thanks to those who helped in any way and also many thanks to the very large number of people who supported fair trade by coming to this event.
Finally the event included a raffle for a basket of items from the shop on behalf of the charity 'Transform Trade'. As usual the money raised by sales of raffle tickets was combined with the donations at the hatch for refreshments on the Sunday of the Fair adding up to a sum of £150 to go to 'Transform Trade'. Before this money could be sent off Lionel our Treasurer heard that a Transform Trade donor had offered to double any donation made by midnight that day November 29th. After a quick email consultation it was agreed that the shop would provide the funds to increase our donation to £200 and that sum was donated that day meaning that with the 'doubling' 'Transform Trade' would receive a total of £400.
Lynn Herron
Shop Manager