Can Eastbourne really achieve Fairtrade Town status as have its neighbours Seaford, Bexhill-on-Sea, Brighton, Lewes, Uckfield, Burgess Hill, Worthing and 338 other towns and cities in the UK?
To do so would be an endorsement of the Fairtrade ideals, those being of poverty relief and the fairness of paying a livable wage to farmers and also of consumer moral awareness and responsibility.
In the past three years the local campaign has been relentless with many events, activities and meetings in great variety. Members range from enthusiastic school pupils to dedicated veteran campaigners and it is great fun to work with people that believe so strongly in what they are doing.
The town has seen the Fairtrade logo in candle lights on the Eastbourne seafront and in chalk on Terminus Road. It has also seen more than 300 'Fairtrade eyes' pasted on a wall in Cafe Blue and pledged to Fairtrade.
Businesses and the public were treated to Fairtrade wine tastings and local bands played to supporters. Students at Park College joined to organise a Fairtrade Fashion show and recently the ethical and local market was a very successful result of a great deal of work that brought Fair Trade and local produce traders to Eastbourne shoppers on Terminus Road.
We ran competitions for school pupils and photographers and an event, that will be annual, called a 'Cuppathon' that challenged businesses to sell Fairtrade cuppas. A year ago we handed over to the borough council a Fairtrade petition containing more than 3,000 signatures for Town Status. In 2007 we printed 10,000 'Ask for Fairtrade' cards to invite Eastbourne residents to help us push for more Fairtrade coffee in our cafes, Fairtrade tea at our hairdressers, Fairtrade wine in our bars, Fairtrade cotton in our shopping bags and Fairtrade chocolate in our shops.
So Eastbourne more than meets the town status criteria for group activity and publicity. It also meets the criteria for support from the borough council, which leads the way by using Fairtrade during meetings and through catering outlets across town.
However, we do need more outlets – businesses, faith groups, schools and community organisations that choose to use or sell Fairtrade.
At present the number of Fairtrade outlets is not far from our target, although even this number seems small in comparison to what could be so if Eastbourne were to fully embrace Fairtrade.
With World Fair Trade Day taking place this weekend it is important to reflect that the Fairtrade campaign in Eastbourne is part of a much wider campaign for justice in the international market. Protests by consumers in the West, delegates at international trade talks and farmers in their fields cry out the same message that trade should work for people and not against them. The world is waiting for Eastbourne to play its part. Matthew Wilkinson, group chairman, Fairtrade Eastbourne, Upperton Gardens, Eastbourne.

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