Fairtrade Fortnight Event in the Library

Prestonpans Fairtrade Town: Fairtrade Fortnight Showcase Event

Prestonpans Library

Saturday 3^rd March 10.30 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.

Watch a 10 minute film

Shop at the Small World's Fairtrade Market Place

Look at Fairtrade Exhibition (Prestonpans Primary School)

Try some Fairtrade Refreshments

Guess the number of beans competition

Support our campaign for “A Fairtrade Town” signage

Take a “We are a Fairtrade Town” signs for display

Win with our Fairtrade tombola

Learn more about Fairtrade and where to buy it locally

Join the Steering Group

Borrow a book about Fairtrade

Take a Step for Fairtrade to add to the Step-o-meter!

Happy New Year!

The shop has re-opened after the festive break and we look forward to welcoming new and returning customers through our doors at 9A Orchard Crescent.

Unfortunately, volunteer illness has left us extremely short-staffed. 

Can you spare two hours?

Volunteers are required to:

• serve in the shop (paper based, so no complicated till to learn!)
• make up customer orders
• check off returning stock

The opening hours are: Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 10-12 and 2-4 and Saturday 10-12.

We urgently need staff for Saturdays.

If you can help, either occasionally or on a regular basis, please call into the shop.

Summer closure and teachers' gifts

In the developing world, many people could not send their children to school if it were not for Fair Trade. 


Taking the Fair Trade model further is Fairtrade premium - a sum of money paid on top of the agreed Fairtrade price for investment in social, environmental or economic development projects, decided upon democratically by producers within the farmers’ organisation or by workers on a plantation.

The premium fund is typically invested in education and has funded such schemes as:

• Provision of school desks
• Construction of classroom blocks
• Adult education classes
• Provision of bursaries for the children of workers'

It should come as no surprise then, that teachers love fair trade!

Instead of a mass produced 'World's Best Teacher' mug - why not buy your teacher a handcrafted gift which will keep on giving?

Here in East Lothian, the local authority schools close on Friday 1st July.  If you are still looking for a present for your teacher, pop into to The Small World, 9A Orchard Crescent, Prestonpans where we have a variety of fairly traded gifts and cards.

We are open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10-12 and 2-4 and Saturday 10-12.  We close for the summer holidays on Saturday 2nd July at 12 p.m., re-opening again Tuesday 2nd August at 10 a.m.

Spring/Summer Update

	Spring/Summer News

The Small World, 9A Orchard Crescent, Prestonpans, EH32 9JJ
Tue, Thu, Fri 10-12 & 2-4.  Sat 10-12

Dates for your diary Sunday 29 May 12-6 Cuthill Park, Prestongrange Road, Prestonpans Whilst tucking into delicious fare, relax on the rolling green hills, enjoy the all day live music, wander through the array of arts and crafts stalls (say hello to us of course!) and browse the car bootie! There will also be something for the kids with bouncy castles, face painting and kiddies’ rides.  For more information visit www.facebook.com/coastalfoodfair Saturday 4 June 11-3 Cockenzie & Port Seton Royal British Legion We are pleased to be taking part in an extravaganza held to raise funds for Cockenzie & Port Seton RBL Pipes & Drums. It should be a great day and members of the band will be playing throughout. You will find us in the arts & crafts hall (although we may wander into the homebaking area....) Sunday 5 June 12-2 The Big Lunch, Cuthill Park Now in its third year, the Big Lunch is an Eden Project initiative designed to bring communities together over food and a chat at street parties up and down the UK. This year, why not make Fairtrade part of your Big Lunch?  Pass on your Fairtrade favourites to friends and neighbours with recipe and activity ideas and let your street know how our tea, coffee and cotton choices help communities in developing countries build a better future. We are again taking part in the Three Harbours Arts Festival and will be exhibiting our own beautiful handcrafted Fairtrade items on Saturday 28 May + Saturday 4 June 10.00 – 12.00 and Tuesday 31 May, Thursday 2 June and Friday 3 June 10.00 – 12.00 / 14.00 – 16.00 in the shop (Venue 11).  Copies of the programme are available in the shop. Support for Fairtrade Our hardworking East Lothian MP, Fiona  O'Donnell, joined the volunteers in the Small World Shop to raise awareness of Fairtrade issues and Prestonpan’s bid to become a Fairtrade town.  Fiona said: “The Small World Shop is doing a fantastic job of boosting awareness and understanding of trade issues locally. “I was delighted to help out at the shop and learn more about how Fairtrade is making a difference to the lives of farmers and workers in the developing world.  I also saw all the improvements that the team have made to the shop and the way in which they are constantly looking for opportunities to introduce new systems and find new customers. “Local schools and churches are playing a vital role in the future of the shop. I appeal to local businesses to think about using the Small World shop as a supplier. “I am hugely supportive of Prestonpan’s bid to become a Fairtrade Town.  “It would be a fantastic achievement for both the shop and the local community.” We should hear whether our application to become a Fairtrade Town has been successful by the end of June.  There has been a bit of a delay in processing our application as The Fairtrade Foundation is currently extremely busy with the Guinness World Record Attempt for bunting! Prestonpans is not the only town to be working towards Fairtrade status - Sustaining Dunbar is holding a public launch event in Dunbar on 18th May in order to work towards Fairtrade Town status for Dunbar and District. Read more at www.ourlocality.org/dunbarfairtrade . If the village/town/zone you live in is working towards Fairtrade status then perhaps we can help supply you with items on a sale-or-return basis for a risk-free trial of which items will sell in your community. We were very grateful to Fiona for lending a hand, especially as we are desperately short of volunteers. Our youngest volunteer Laura, is currently on exam leave so we are even more stretched than usual. She has been selected as one of the finalists in East Lothian Council's Young Volunteer of the Year category of the Inspiring Volunteering Awards and will be attending the awards ceremony on 9 June.  Good luck for on both fronts Laura! If you can spare some time, please pop in and have a chat with us or call us on 01875 813992.

Prestonpans Fairtrade Town Steering Group

It might just have seemed like a few people having a chat over a cup of coffee but today's meeting was actually quite momentous.

Representatives of the Small World, East Lothian Council, local faith groups & schools, and the Community Council convened the inaugural meeting of the Prestonpans Fairtrade Town Group.  What made the meeting - and the subsequent agreeing of the group's constitution -  so important, was that it enabled us to meet one of five Fair Trade Town 'goals'.  

Briefly, the five targets required to be met in order to secure Fairtrade Town status are:

1. The Council must pass as resolution to support Fairtrade ☑
2. Fairtrade products must be readily available in both shops and cafes ☑
3. Local workplaces and community groups must support Fairtrade ☑
4. the use of local media and events to promote Fairtrade ☑ ...and...
5. A local Fairtrade Steering Group must be convened....TICK!

Thank you to everyone who came along to the meeting.  There will be lots of opportunities to be involved in the project and membership is open to anyone who has expressed a commitment to promoting the objectives of the Prestonpans Fairtrade Town Group.

Our application to have Prestonpans be made a Fairtrade Town has been submitted to the Fairtrade Foundation....watch this space!

Spring into the Small World

The daffodils are blooming and the weather has been so glorious, we have even taken our stock outside!

Easter opening

Mmm....chocolate.  If there's one thing we know about in the Small World, it's chocolate.  We have Belgian chocolates, family-sized bags of chocolate, individual chocolate bars in coffee, orange and vanilla flavours, to name but a few.

If you are looking for a non-chocolate Easter gift then we have little chick purses containing jelly sweets, chick tape measures and of course our beautiful handcrafted cards.

Please bear in mind that we will be closed on Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd April, re-opening for business as usual at 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday 26th April.

Prestonpans Fairtrade Town

We will be having our first Fairtrade Town steering group meeting on Tuesday, 19 April at 12pm in the Small World Shop, 9A Orchard Crescent, Prestonpans, EH32 9JJ.

This meeting is open to anyone who is interested in Fair Trade, and would like to work with others to enable Prestonpans to become a Fair Trade Town.

Drivers needed!

We need drivers to transport volunteers and a couple of boxes of stock to craft and summer fairs in Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton areas.  The fairs usually take place on weekends.  Are you able to help?

Of course, if you would like to run a stall for us, or work in the shop, or behind the scenes in any capacity we would love to hear from you.

Why the climate revolution must be a fair revolution

Climate change isn’t fair. The people at the heart of the Fairtrade movement; poor farmers and workers in developing countries – those who have done the least to cause the mess – are at the very frontline of the emerging crisis. The increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and extremes are already damaging their livelihoods and wellbeing.
Willington Wamayeye, Managing Director of Gumutindo Coffee Co-operative, and a supplier to Cafédirect says ‘Rains now fall heavily for a short period and our dry season is much longer. The coffee plants are badly affected – flowering is stopping. Last year alone we lost about 40% of our production.’

Small scale farmers are at a disadvantage when it comes to adapting to a changing climate because without the resources to support a switch, it is too risky to change to growing other more resilient crops. Rural areas rarely have the insurance and credit services small farmers need to support them adapt. Florence Madamu from Bulihere in Uganda explains: ‘We used to plant in March and that would be it. Now we plant and plant again. We waste a lot of seeds… Then we have to plan to acquire other seeds and the seeds here are very costly. Sometimes you feel like crying.’

Fairtrade is one way we can support disadvantaged producers as the climate begins to change. The minimum price and Fairtrade premium allows farmers to invest in trying different crops and strengthening their businesses. Some producer groups have used the premium to set up micro finance schemes and found ways to reduce their carbon emissions.

But there are other ways the Fairtrade system itself can develop to help farmers adapt. Some ideas already in discussion include:

• developing new credit schemes and ways of financing producers, 
• building on schemes in place already such as the Technical Assistance Fund for African producers; 
• creating partnerships like Cafédirect’s innovative AdapCC programme, (www.adapcc.org) to help channel funds directly to vulnerable communities, and
• putting Fairtrade, and more broadly, equity and fairness, at the heart of what it means to be sustainable. 

We want to encourage shoppers to increase their social footprint – buy less, but buy better.

Read a full discussion paper at www.fairtrade.org.uk/climatereport and email us your suggestions for how Fairtrade as a whole can respond to climate change climatechange@fairtrade.org.uk