Ellon, a Fairtrade Town

The town of Ellon is the first town in the north east of Scotland to gain Fairtrade status, beyond Aberdeen city. This was achieved after a nine month campaign involving local schools, churches, community organisations and businesses.

This means that in Ellon you can buy goods in the town's shops with the Fairtrade mark (an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal). Also that there are a significant number of churches and schools using and selling Fairtrade goods, cafes and restaurants offering Fairtrade products and local businesses using Fairtrade refreshments on their premises. For a full list see below.

Every year there are activities promoting Fairtrade, particularly during the national Fairtrade Fortnight in March. Look out for tasting stalls at the supermarkets, public events, a display at the library and posters and banners advertising Fairtrade goods.

The Ellon Fairtrade Town Steering Group encourages and supports organisations and businesses to convert to using Fairtrade and produces a yearly guide to Fairtrade in Ellon. The 2007 guide will be available from Ellon Library and other public places from February 2007.



Contact email for the Fairtrade Town Steering Group: ellonfttowngroup@yahoo.co.uk

What is Fairtrade?
Fairtrade is a growing movement that gives farmers in developing countries a better price for their products. More than 5 million farmers, workers and their families across 49 developing countries benefit from the Fairtrade system.

For a product to display the FAIRTRADE Mark it must meet international Fairtrade standards. These standards are set by the international certification body Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO). Producer organisations that supply Fairtrade products are inspected and certified by FLO. They receive a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production and an extra premium that is invested in social or economic development projects.



You can buy over 2,000 Fairtrade products in the UK including tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar, biscuits & snacks, bananas, lemons, grapes, avocados, pineapples, rice, pulses, chocolate, honey, fruit juice, footballs, cotton clothing, wine … and many more. For a full list of products, suppliers and information about Fairtrade and the principles behind it, visit the Fairtrade Foundation website at www.fairtrade.org.uk


Where to find Fairtrade in Ellon

Shops
- Costcutter, The Square: Instant and ground coffees, tea, bananas, chocolate, sugar, fruit juices, wines, honey, jam and marmalade, rice, biscuits.
- Somerfield, Ythan Terrace: Instant and ground coffees, tea, bananas; chocolate. In addition Somerfield also stock some fairly traded produce not carrying the Fairtrade mark.
- Co-op, Esslemont Circle: Instant and ground coffees, tea, chocolate products, fruit juices, bananas, wines, cakes.
- Co-op, Meiklemill: Instant and ground coffees, tea, chocolate products, fruit juices, bananas, wines, cakes.
- Ice Cream & Coffee Pot, 36 Market Street: Fairtrade chocolate, biscuits and snacks.
- Regency Filling Station / Craighall Garage, South Road: Fairtrade chocolate and snacks.

Restaurants, Cafés and Snack bars
- Ellon Community Centre Café, Schoolhill - products under negotiation for Fairtrade Fortnight.
- Kirk Centre Coffee Shop, 4 Station Road - Coffee, tea, biscuits and snacks & use of Fairtrade ingredients in homebakes.
- Ice Cream and Coffee Pot, 36 Market Street - In café: sugar sachets, chocolate bars and biscuits.
- Langleys, Station Road - Fairtrade Sugar and speciality teas available.

Workplaces supporting Fairtrade by using Fairtrade refreshments
- Winchesters, 57 Station Road
- The Kirk Centre, 4 Station Road
- Lawrence Milne, 17 Union Street
- Bonnyton House Residential Home, Beechwood Avenue
- Shield Care Services, Unit 1, Ellon Business Centre
- Scotia BBS, Balmacassie Business Centre
- Ritson Smith, 42 Market Street
- Stitches, Market Street
- Ellon Advertiser, Unit 7, 32 Bridge Street.

Community Organisations supporting Fairtrade
- Ellon Parish Church - a Fairtrade church
- St Mary's Episcopal Church - a Fairtrade church
- Ellon Baptist Church - regular fairtrade stall
- Our Lady & St John RC Church - monthly Fairtrade stall after Mass
- Ellon Academy - a Fairtrade school
- Ellon Primary School - Fairtrade stalls and tuckshops
- Auchterellon Primary School - Fairtrade stalls and tuckshops
- Ellon Resource Centre - Fairtrade tea and coffee available, also Community Garden Project
- Ellon Community News - Fairtrade refreshments
- Communty Learning - promotion & awareness raising of Fairtrade
- Aberdeenshire Council - provides Fairtrade refreshments at Council facilities.

Marking Fairtrade Town Status


An evening celebration reception took place on Tuesday 10th October 2006 to mark the achievement of the townspeople in reaching the status of Fairtrade town. Representatives of schools, churches, business traders and community groups were present to receive the award, presented by Alan Campbell, Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council. MSP Nora Radcliffe also offered her ongoing support and congratulations on behalf of the Scottish Parliament.




"I am delighted that Ellon has been recognised by the Fairtrade Foundation as a town deserving Fair Trade Town status. I commend all those who have worked hard to achieve this, and all the folk of Ellon who have supported them. It shows Ellon is a community which can pull together in a good cause, and one with a sense of fairness and social responsibility for other people working to support themselves and their families in other communities across the world. Very well done to all concerned."
Nora Radcliffe, MSP

"I am delighted to hear that Ellon has received Fairtrade town status. I know that many people in Ellon have worked tirelessly to achieve this result and the community should be proud of this. I was delighted to meet with two Chilean producers of Fairtrade honey back in March and play a part in promoting Fairtrade within Ellon."
Malcolm Bruce, MP

Background
Interested individuals, plus representatives from Ellon Parish Church, St Mary on the Rock Episcopal Church, Rotary Club, Ellon Business Traders Association, Ellon Community Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Ellon Academy and Traidcraft joined together in December 2005 to form Ellon Fairtrade Town Steering Group. Jointly and as individual organisations, groups have organised a programme for Fairtrade Fortnight (March), hosted social evenings, fashions shows, resourced educational events and provided fairtrade stalls at local gatherings such as Ellon Gala Day, the Saturday market (Fairtrade Crafts) and Ellon Christmas Markets. There has even been a local business survey to encourage a wider awareness and usage of Fairtrade goods in the town.

A definite highlight of 2006 was the Fairtrade social evening at the Kirk Centre in March 2006 when Chilean honey producers, Chino Henriques and Celia Gonzalez from APICOOP, gave everyone an insight into what the Fairtrade model of working meant to their communities of beekeepers and producers. Malcolm Bruce, local MP and chair of the Commons Select Committee on Overseas Development, was also able to speak about the role of trade in tackling poverty. A visit from Faith Aitken of Aberfeldy Fairtrade Town Group (the joint first in Scotland) was also greatly appreciated and kept up the Fairtrade momentum.

Getting involved