The first ever Annual National Fairtrade Conference was held at the Quality Hotel Clonakilty last weekend and was a resounding success. Blessed with weather more typical of the traditional July's we used to get, over 80 delegates from towns and cities throughout the length and breath of Ireland enjoyed the conference and the West Cork hospitality to the full. This was the 6th annual conference, and was the first time ever that it spanned two days and came outside of Dublin . Earlier this year the Clonakilty Committee invited the national organisers to come to West Cork to coincide with Clonakilty's fifth anniversary as Ireland 's first Fairtrade Town .
At the end of last weeks conference, Clonakilty was awarded with the distinction of having the greatest range and availability of Fairtrade Products for purchase/consumptio n by the public of any town in the 32 counties. Chairperson Trevor Kingston and founding Chairperson, Jennifer Sleeman both beaming with pride, accepted the award of behalf of the town.
Over the course of the two days, the conference heard how there are now a total of 32 towns and cities with FT status, with this number likely to be near 40 by the end of the year. Several other communities are well on their way also to achieving status in 2009. During Fairtrade Fortnight in March of this year, Leinster house converted 100% to FT in it's restaurants, sending out a very positive and strong message. The www.fairtrade. ie website will be revamped this year, and in the E.U., there are 15 other countries involved in the Fairtrade Towns campaign. From a relatively unheard of concept at the start of this century, the Fairtrade concept continues to make great strides at home and abroad, delegates were told by Melanie Drea of the National Office.
Carol Finlay from Dublin City Council outlined the campaign which saw Ireland 's capital city gaining FT status. In what was a huge logistical effort she explained how the campaign was truly grassroots, with the support of the local authority. Regular newsletters and talks with schools and groups saw the ordinary people gaining an understanding and giving support to Fairtrade.
Caroline Whelan, from Irish Aid and an officer in Minister Peter Powers office spoke of Irish government financial aid for Fairtrade related projects in developing countries, and Peter Gaynor head of Fairtrade Ireland , praised the government for "getting it right". He revealed that per capita, this country gives the most to Fairtrade projects and if the U.S.A. donated a comparative figure it would amount to 1 billion dollars.
Clonakilty's founding Chairperson Jennifer Sleeman, enthralled the visitors with her recounting of how Clonakilty started Fairtrade and became the first town in the country to gain official FT status in 2003. It's a story of how one persons passion for something can lead to "miracles" as she described the whole thing herself. She remembered the input of Fr. Gerard Galvin, Rev. Ian Jonas and Imelda Kingston of the original committee, and thanked them all for their dedication in those early days.
There were reports from the International Fairtrade Town Conference in Brussels earlier this year from Waterford delegate Lucy Whittle.
Carol Doyle who founded BelleEtik Fashion stores spoke of the connection between Fairtrade and fashion and how the two can marry very well.
With all this work on day one, the 80 or so guests enjoyed the superb dinner put on at the Quality Hotel on Friday evening. Rev. Ian Jonas led with a prayer before mealtime, thanking God for the food and the hands that grew it, prepared it and served it. Mayor of Clonakilty Cllr. Michael O' Regan, was present to welcome the visitors to Clonakilty and praised the ongoing work of the local committee. Chairperson Trevor Kingston welcomed everyone and took the opportunity to thank the many people who made not just the weekend such a success but Clonakilty Fairtrade story over the last five years. Peter Gaynor also lavished praise on all involved and lead the singing of "Happy Birthday Clonakilty" as the fifth birthday cake was cut.
On Saturday morning, a short film showing the Fairtrade Towns visit to Áras an Uachtarán during FT fortnight in March. This was followed by a speech by Lino Olivieri of Amnesty International who is also a member of the board of Fairtrade Ireland . Two Cork representative from the National Youth Council gave an indepth talk about Child Protection in relation to FT groups working with young people in schools and on projects. After the coffee break Dunstan Burke of the National Office have and update on Fairtrade Business and expansion, and Melanie Drea also of the FT Office went into detail about the updated registration forms and certification mark.
Alan Clayton of the Kinsale FT committee gave talk and slide show of his visit to Malawi earlier this year, in which it was illustrated how Fairtrade makes such a positive impact on the lives of ordinary people in developing countries.
The conference concluded with the annual Fairtrade Town Awards. Belfast go the award for the most imaginative promotion of Fairtrade Products. They got Belfast Zoo to feed the animals Fairtrade Bananas!!! Ballymun in Dublin received the overall award for it's work in promoting FT, and despite many odds achieving official status this year. And the host town, Clonakilty was awarded with the recognition that it is the town in the country with the most and widest available choice of Fairtrade produce in shops and restaurants. Trevor Kingston and Jennifer Sleeman proudly accepted the presentation.
After lunch delegates not in a hurry home were picked up and given a complimentary spin on the Choo Choo which they thoroughly enjoyed. The thirty or so were greatly impressed by the town, as it looked resplendent in the "summer" sunshine. Many of the delegates are going to be returning on private visits to the town in the future and indeed as a result of what they experienced last weekend, a few actually decided at the last moment to stay on another night to experience the town.
All in all it was a very enjoyable and beneficial experience for the local Fairtrade Committee and the wider community. Thanks is expressed to the Quality Hotel Management and Staff, Model Village Management, Clonakilty Town Council who provided some funding for the weekend events, and all the businesses who continue to stock and serve FT produce to their customers, and the shoppers who buy it. In our little corner of the word, we are making a difference to producers in the Third World by guaranteeing them a fair price every time we purchase a products with the Fairtrade symbol on it.
Clonakilty FT Committee would welcome more people to get involved, and if interested please contact Trevor Kingston on 086-3384863 or any committee member on fairtrade@clonakilty.ie
