Below is a piece which Ammanford Fairtrade Group were asked to write to go with Carmarthenshire's current application for Fairtrade County status, and the end of it outlines things we will be working around over the next few months... although obviously anything else people want to do would be great too!
Ammanford Fairtrade Group is stronger now than at any time in its seven year history.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 was our best yet in terms of widespread community involvement, media coverage... and fun!
We had two main events; a fairtrade relay race at Amman Valley School with teams from all of Ammanford's schools, and from local fairtrade supporting shops, cafes and organisations. This event was covered by S4C's daily magazine programme Wedi Tri, whose presenter ran in the race as well as interviewing Bella Joachim and others. We also had photo stories in both the local papers.
The other main event was a 24m long fairtrade banana split in the town's arcade. This was organised and led by fairtrade church and chapel youth groups and sponsored by local businesses. The MP, AM and Mayor all attended as well as around 200 people. The event was the lead photo story on the front pages of both local newspapers and the local community Welsh language magazine, Gloman. ITV Wales had planned to do a live-broadcast weather forecast from the event, but had to pull out at the last minute due to staffing issues. We were however able to immediately put them in touch with organisers of a fairtrade school event in Cardiff which they did attend and featured on their main news programme.
The relay event was timed to coincide with the visit to Carmarthenshire of Bella Joachim, who as well as attending the relay event and talking to a Year 11 Geography class who were studying the banana trade, also visited the local Co-Op, the Organic Pantry, who deliver organic and fairtrade boxes around South Wales, and Tiddlywinks fairtrade playgroup.
The town's fairtrade businesses were also featured on S4C's Ffermio programme.
All the town's primary schools had fairtrade assemblies in the fortnight and two special fairtrade meals.
Other regular and one-off fairtrade coffee mornings were also held, and, following on from their involvement in the banana split, Clwb Hwyl Hwyr's webmaster has set up a bilingual website for Ammanford Fairtrade Group.
Building on from the success of Fairtrade fortnight, and the Fairtrade Wales Flag events in December (in local schools, churches, chapels and the Town Council's OAP's Christmas Party), the group is now looking to gain more publicity through an official launch of the website on World Fairtrade Day on May 9th, and then with our involvement with the Wales Fairtrade Conference in June, and with the Ammanford Carnival in July.
The "We helped make Wales a Fairtrade Country" banner will also be displayed at various venues in the town throughout the year.
For more details please contact Phil Broadhurst : 01269 596933 or
http://uk.mc259.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=riversidepicnic@yahoo.co.uk or
http://www.ammanfordfairtrade.blogspot.com/.
Dyma gopi o’r llythyr wnaethon no fel Grŵp Masnach Deg Rhydaman ei ysgrifennu i gefnogi cais Sir Gaerfyrddin am Statws Masnach Deg. Mae’r darn ar y diwedd yn amlinellu beth fyddwn ni yn gweithio o’u hamgylch yn ystod y misoedd nesaf. Er wrth gwrs croesewir syniadau gan bobl am unrhwy beth arall hefyd.
Mae Grŵp Masnach Deg Rhydaman yn gryfach nawr nag unrhyw amser arall yn ei saith mlynedd o fodolaeth. Pythefnos Masnach Deg 2009 oedd y gorau eto o ran gweithgareddau cymdeithasol, sylw yn y wasg… a hwyl!
Cawsom ddau brif weithgaredd; y ras gyfenwid yn Ysgol Dyffryn Aman gyda timau o pob ysgol yn Rhydaman, siopau sy’n cefnogi Masnach Deg , caffis a sefydliadau. Cafodd y digwyddiad sylw ar rhaglen S4C Wedi Tri. Wnaeth y gohebydd redeg y ras a chyfweld Bella Joachim ac eraill. Hefyd roedd stori a lluniau yn y ddau bapur lleol.
Y diwgyddiad arall oedd y banan split 24 metr yn arcade y dref. Cafodd hwn ei drefnu a’i arwain gan grwpiau ieuenctid capeli ac eglwysi’r dref a’i noddi gan fusnesau lleol. Roedd yr Aelod Seneddol, Aelod Cynulliad a Maer y dref yn bresennol ynghyd a 200 o bobl. Roedd y stori ar dudalennau blaen y ddau bapur newydd lleol ac ar dudalen flaen Glo Man, Papur Bro Dyffryn Aman. Roedd ITV Cymru i fod i ddod a rhoi adroddiad a rhagolwg tywydd ar y noson, ond roedd yn rhaid iddynt dynnu allan ar y funud olaf. Felly fe wnaethon ni eu rhoi mewn cyswllt a digwyddiad masnach deg mewn ysgol yng Nghaerdydd. Cafodd hwn ei gynnwys ar eu heitem newyddion y noson honno.
Roedd amseriad y ras gyfnewid wedi ei drefnu i gydfynd ac ymweliad Bella Joachim a Sir Gaerfyrddin. Aeth Bella i’r ras a hefyd rhoddodd gyflwyniad i ddisgyblion Daearyddiaeth blwyddyn 11, ymweld a’r Co-op lleol, y Pantri Organig, sydd yn dosbarthu bocsus organig ar draws De orllewin Cymru a mynd i Tiddliwinks sef grŵp chwarae masnach deg.
Roedd busnesau masnach deg y dref hefyd ar rhaglen Ffermio ar S4C.
Yn ystod pythefnos masnach deg cynhaliodd pob ysgol wasanaeth boreol masnach deg a dau bryd o fwyd masnach deg arbennig.
Hefyd cynhaliwyd boreuau coffi. Yn dilyn y banana split fe wnaeth rheolwr gwefan Clwb Hwyl hwyr greu gwefan dwyieithog ar gyfer Grŵp Masnach Deg Rhydaman.
Gan adeiladu ar lwyddiant pythefnos masnach deg, a’r digwyddiadau Baner Masnach Deg yn Rhagfyr (mewn ysgolion lleol, capeli, eglwysi a Parti Henoed Cyngor y Dref) mae’r grŵp yn edrych nawr ar sut i gael mwy o gyhoeddusrwydd drwy lansio’r wefan yn swyddogol ar Ddydd Masnach Deg Byd eang ar 9 Mai, yna Chynhadledd Masnach Deg Cymru ym Mehefin, a Carnifal Rhydaman yng Ngorffennaf.
Bydd y faner “Rydm wedi helpu gwneud Cymru yn wlad Masnach Deg” yn cael ei harddangos mewn gwahanol lefydd yn y dref ar hyd y flwyddyn.
Am fwy o fanylion cysylltwch a Phil Broadhurst : 01269 596933 neu
http://uk.mc259.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=riversidepicnic@yahoo.co.uk neu
http://www.ammanfordfairtrade.blogspot.com/
