This Saturday Orkney Fair Trade Group will be holding a Big Brew at Kirkwall East Church, on Saturday 2nd March from 10 to 12. There will be teas and coffees, homebakes, stalls and a quiz which will all help to raise funds for Transform Trade, supporting community businesses in the developing world. 

It’s intended to hold similar events throughout the year ahead. This year is the 30th anniversary of the Fairtrade Mark.

The work of Orkney Fair Trade Group has been recognised in the Scottish Parliament, when Liam McArthur MSP lodged a written motion commending local celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Fairtrade Mark.

Orkney Marks 30 Years of Fairtrade Mark

That the Parliament welcomes news that Orkney Fair Trade Group will be marking the 30th anniversary of the Fairtrade Mark by holding Big Brew coffee mornings across Orkney; understands that Orkney was declared a Fairtrade Zone in 2014 by the Fairtrade Foundation, after the status had previously been awarded to some individual isles in the county; notes that Fairtrade Fortnight has been marked annually in Orkney, with the 2024 Big Brew events being added to the programme; commends the Orkney Fair Trade Group for using the occasion to fundraise for Transform Trade, which campaigns to support small producers in the global south; believes that the Fairtrade mark gives consumers confidence in the sustainability and ethical standards of the goods that they buy; congratulates Orkney on its long-standing Fairtrade Zone status, with, it understands, more local shops right across the islands selling fair trade goods than any other comparable area in Scotland; considers that promoting such goods can help boost living standards and help build equality globally, and looks forward to the Orkney Fair Trade Group continuing to find ways to support Fair Trade in the future.

The motion received cross party support:  Karen Adam, Jeremy Balfour, Colin Beattie, Sarah Boyack, Miles Briggs, Ariane Burgess, Donald Cameron, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Sharon Dowey, Annabelle Ewing, Kenneth Gibson, Pam Gosal, Bill Kidd, Douglas Lumsden, Fulton MacGregor, Rona Mackay, Stuart McMillan, Marie McNair, Paul O’Kane, Douglas Ross, Kevin Stewart, Paul Sweeney, David Torrance, Evelyn Tweed, Sue Webber, Tess White