FAIRTRADE IN AMMANFORD

The problem with having the title "Fairtrade Town" is that it conjurs up hopes of a utopian oasis of happy ethical shopping and total community togetherness. When you're proudly stating that you are "The First Fairtrade Town In Wales", as in the case of Ammanford, then visitors' expectations rise even higher.

So, when Anne and Helen from UNDERCURRENTS arrived in town with their solar powered cinema in a caravan (yes; you did read that right!) for a day of fairtrade film screenings at the top of the Arcade, they were a little disappointed to find the cafe at the other end of the Arcade was charging them £2.50 for a coffee that was not even Fairtrade!
When we first gained Fairtrade Town status in 2002, just as when Wales gained Fairtrade Nation status in 2009, we were all at pains to point out that this was only a start; the utopian paradise had not yet arrived! And it still hasn't.
But, as Anne and Helen happily witnessed through the rest of the day, we have come a long way. The amount of awareness and enthusiasm for Fairtrade has improved massively in the last few years. As a Fairtrade Town Group, we used to have to have stalls in the town centre to spread the word. While there will always be a role for those type of stalls, we have now got a far more powerful twin attack on our side ; Cadbury's TV advertising budget and the schoolchildren of Ammanford! All the schools, from the Nursery to the Comp are learning about Fairtrade (and indeed further, from Cylch Meithrins and Church playgroups to Coleg Sir Gar too).