Author Archives: Malcolm S

Monday September 21st to Sunday October 4th – Fairtrade Fortnight 2026

Saturday 26 September – Fairtrade Stall, 9am to 12 noon, Sudbury Market

Saturday 26 September – “Do It Fair” Morning Tea, 10.30am to 12.30pm, St John’s Methodist Church. See poster .

Monday 28 September – Fairtrade & McMillan Coffee & Tea Morning (The Mayor’s Tea Party), 11am to 2pm in Sudbury Town Hall

Saturday 3 October – Fairtrade Coffee Morning, 10.30am to 1pm hosted by the Quakers in Friars Street.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 May 2026 are here .

Notes from our February meeting are here . Plans for Fairtrade Fortnight.(September 21^st to 4^th October) are included.

There is a revised list of Fairtrade-goods-and-where-to-buy .

All churches are reminded to check, and where appropriate, renew their FT status.

Date of next meeting:Thursday21^st May 2026 at 7.30pm at St John’s Methodist Church, York Road. Volunteers to join the group are welcomed.

St John’s Methodist Church, Sudbury, is hosting a fundraising event in support of Transform Trade’s Big Brew campaign. We’re having a Morning Tea Party on this Saturday, 28th February from 10.30am-12.30pm. Throughout the morning there’ll be games, quizzes, plenty of Fairtrade tea, coffee and sweet treats made using Fairtrade ingredients. 

See poster .

Notes from our January meeting are here .

Date of next meeting: Thursday 26^th February 2026 at 7.30pm at St John’s Methodist Church, York Road.

Here is a leaflet we’ve drawn up to explain the task and encourage people to get on board.  Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who could be interested in supporting Fairtrade.

We have launched our campaign to renew Sudbury’s registration as a Fairtrade town.  The first meeting was small (7 people) but positive.  Now we’re looking to grow the Steering Group and widen the representation to include schools, churches, businesses, community organisations and the Town Council.

The next meeting will be on Thursday 15 January 2026 at 7.30 pm at St John’s Methodist Church.  Could you join us there?

Registering your church with the Fairtrade Foundation would be a key contribution.  It’s not an onerous task:

Register Online: Visit the Fairtrade Foundation (UK) Fairtrade Places of Worship platform to sign up as a new user or log in if you’re an existing contact.  Complete the Application: Fill out the online form, detailing your commitments and activities.  Receive Your Certificate: Once the Fairtrade Foundation reviews your application and is satisfied, they’ll send you an official Fairtrade Church certificate to display. 

Attached is a leaflet we’ve drawn up to explain the task and encourage people to get on board.  Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who could be interested in supporting Fairtrade.

Contacts:

The Rev. Ruth Ridge (ruthkridge@gmail.com / 07447 091182)

Andy Jowitt (jowitts@btinternet.com / 01787 464010)

Notes from our November meeting are here.

Our status as a Fairtrade town has lapsed and needs reviving.  So we are looking to put together a working group to see what we can do to restore our Fairtrade status, hopefully bringing together people from different parts of the community – shops, churches, schools, Town Council, businesses, etc.

Would you be willing to play a part?  We have set a time, date and place for an initial get-together (with Fairtrade refreshments, of course!) It is: Wednesday 12 November2025 at 7.30 pm at St John’s Methodist Church.  We’d love to hear from you if you’re at all interested.

The Rev. Ruth Ridge ruthkridge@gmail.com / 07447 091182

Andy Jowitt (jowitts@btinternet.com / 01787 464010).

This year Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 22 September to 5 October. Thousands of individuals, schools, community groups and companies across the UK will unite under Fairtrade’s “Do It Fair” campaign to celebrate and stand with the people around the world behind the everyday products we love.

Sudbury achieved Fairtrade Town status in 2013. Many local churches became Fairtrade churches at around the same time. Some may need to renew their promises.

As churches, and as individuals, we made a commitment to supporting Fairtrade and using products with the Fairtrade Mark whenever possible.

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

See https://www.fairtrade.net/uk-en/get-involved/campaign-with-us/current-campaigns/fairtrade-fortnight.html for more information, and see https://www.fairtrade.net/uk-en.html for general information about the Fairtrade Foundation.

On Saturday 20 September, a Fairtrade Tea Party was held at St John’s Methodist Church, Sudbury, with Fairtrade goodies to eat and quizzes to keep us alert.