Brampton
Carlisle
Cockermouth
Eden Valley
Egremont
Kendal
Kirkby Lonsdale
Keswick
Lakes Parish
Millom
Windermere & Bowness
About Fairtrade Towns
To become a Fairtrade town or area you must meet the following five criteria:
1. The local council passes a resolution supporting Fairtrade and agrees to serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in its offices and canteens.
2. A range of Fairtrade products is readily available in the area's shops and local cafes/catering establishments.
3. Fairtrade products are used by a number of local work places and community organisations.
4. The town attracts media coverage and popular support for the campaign.
5. A local Fairtrade Steering Group is convened to ensure continued commitment to its Fairtrade Town status.
For more details of Fairtrade Towns nationally, visit the Fairtrade Foundation
Web site.
1. The local council passes a resolution supporting Fairtrade and agrees to serve Fairtrade coffee and tea at its meetings and in its offices and canteens.
2. A range of Fairtrade products is readily available in the area's shops and local cafes/catering establishments.
3. Fairtrade products are used by a number of local work places and community organisations.
4. The town attracts media coverage and popular support for the campaign.
5. A local Fairtrade Steering Group is convened to ensure continued commitment to its Fairtrade Town status.
For more details of Fairtrade Towns nationally, visit the Fairtrade Foundation
Web site.
Deputy Mayor Isabel Burns
Tony Cunningham MP with the Deputy Mayor and members from Cockermouth Fairtrade
Local information
Lying just outside the boundary of the Lake District National Park, Cockermouth is an attractive market town not overwhelmed by the tourist atmosphere of Keswick and Ambleside. Cockermouth grew up at the junction of the two most important rivers in the area. Here the River Cocker, flowing out of the lakes Buttermere, Crummock and Loweswater meets the River Derwent on its journey from Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake to the sea at Workington.
Today's visitors are attracted by the town's calm, its nearness to some of the more peaceful lakes and mountains, and the fact that Dorothy and William Wordsworth were born here. The large Georgian house in the Main Street where they were born is now in the care of the National Trust.
Another famous son of Cockermouth was Fletcher Christian, the man who led the mutiny on the Bounty. He was born about a mile from the town at Eaglesfield in 1764, and attended the same school as Wordsworth.
John Dalton, also born at Eaglesfield, in 1766, was one of the most brilliant scientists of his age and was the originator of atomic theory.
The town received its Market Charter in 1221 and has retained its importance as a market town ever since. Quarrying and mining for lead and iron were later developments outside the town, and a brewery has been built at the foot of the castle mound, where the two rivers meet.
Today's visitors are attracted by the town's calm, its nearness to some of the more peaceful lakes and mountains, and the fact that Dorothy and William Wordsworth were born here. The large Georgian house in the Main Street where they were born is now in the care of the National Trust.
Another famous son of Cockermouth was Fletcher Christian, the man who led the mutiny on the Bounty. He was born about a mile from the town at Eaglesfield in 1764, and attended the same school as Wordsworth.
John Dalton, also born at Eaglesfield, in 1766, was one of the most brilliant scientists of his age and was the originator of atomic theory.
The town received its Market Charter in 1221 and has retained its importance as a market town ever since. Quarrying and mining for lead and iron were later developments outside the town, and a brewery has been built at the foot of the castle mound, where the two rivers meet.
Background
The Cockermouth Fairtrade group was set up in February 2004. It was formed after a Keswick Fairtrade group member gave a talk to the Churches Together organisation. The group welcomes more support and would love to see people at our meetings. The group meets in The Swan, a local pub on Kirkgate, on Tuesday evenings. Contact Sara Brown (see below) for the dates of the next meeting.
Contact
Sara Brown,
tel: 01900 822895,
tel: 01900 822895,
News
Next meeting will be at the Swan on kirkgate 20 November 2007 at 7 pm It would be great to see some new supporters as the group has big plans for the year ahead.
Fairtrade town status awarded
Campaigners promoting the sale of ethically-produced goods in Cumbria's shops and cafés are celebrating Cockermouth becoming a Fairtrade Town.
Volunteers and activists from Cokermouth Fairtrade Group have been working hard to raise the profile of Fairtrade products. During October their efforts paid off when the Fairtrade Foundation awarded the town fairtrade status. Cockermouth is now one of 16 to gain the award in Cumbria. Cumbria should be proud of their track record as the county has twice as many fairtrade towns as any other county in the UK.
To become a Fairtrade town, Cockermouth had to meet a quota of shops and cafés selling the ethically-produced goods. The local town council passed a resolution supporting the cause, which aims to guarantee a better deal for farmers and producers in Third World countries. Councillors agreed to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee at all of its meetings.
Chair of the local Fairtrade group, Ursula Lennord, said: "We're absolutely delighted. Achieving Fairtrade Town status is fantastic, but in a sense it's only the beginning. We mustn't sit back but need to keep working."
Fellow campaigner, Sara Brown, added: "If any more cafés or firms want to join the campaign we can support them by offering information and details of wholesalers. It would also be great to see more schools coming on board to gain Fairtrade status within Cockermouth. We hope to add to our directory showing where people can buy Fairtrade produce locally and update it with lots of new businesses that want to support Fairtrade"
MP Tony Cunningham presented the award to the people of Cockermouth and it was accepted by Isabel Burns Cockermouth's Deputy Mayor. Tony told the gathered businesses and supporters: "As you know, Fairtrade is something that is close to my heart. It's not just about us feeling good about ourselves, it's about making a difference on a global scale."
Joe Human, a long time Oxfam worker, talked about the impact of Fairtrade on coffee farmers in Ethiopia and the evening finished with local cheese and, of course, Fairtrade wine that was kindly provided by the local Cockermouth Co-op and Sainsbury's.
In April the group launched its town directory of local businesses and community groups that either sell or provide fair-trade goods, funded by the Co-op Community Fund and the local neighbourhood forum.
Volunteers and activists from Cokermouth Fairtrade Group have been working hard to raise the profile of Fairtrade products. During October their efforts paid off when the Fairtrade Foundation awarded the town fairtrade status. Cockermouth is now one of 16 to gain the award in Cumbria. Cumbria should be proud of their track record as the county has twice as many fairtrade towns as any other county in the UK.
To become a Fairtrade town, Cockermouth had to meet a quota of shops and cafés selling the ethically-produced goods. The local town council passed a resolution supporting the cause, which aims to guarantee a better deal for farmers and producers in Third World countries. Councillors agreed to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee at all of its meetings.
Chair of the local Fairtrade group, Ursula Lennord, said: "We're absolutely delighted. Achieving Fairtrade Town status is fantastic, but in a sense it's only the beginning. We mustn't sit back but need to keep working."
Fellow campaigner, Sara Brown, added: "If any more cafés or firms want to join the campaign we can support them by offering information and details of wholesalers. It would also be great to see more schools coming on board to gain Fairtrade status within Cockermouth. We hope to add to our directory showing where people can buy Fairtrade produce locally and update it with lots of new businesses that want to support Fairtrade"
MP Tony Cunningham presented the award to the people of Cockermouth and it was accepted by Isabel Burns Cockermouth's Deputy Mayor. Tony told the gathered businesses and supporters: "As you know, Fairtrade is something that is close to my heart. It's not just about us feeling good about ourselves, it's about making a difference on a global scale."
Joe Human, a long time Oxfam worker, talked about the impact of Fairtrade on coffee farmers in Ethiopia and the evening finished with local cheese and, of course, Fairtrade wine that was kindly provided by the local Cockermouth Co-op and Sainsbury's.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2007
During Fairtrade Fortnight 2007, the group provided promotional material for all the businesses that support Fairtrade in town. The local Cockermouth Guide group had an evening on Fairtrade and the First Cockermouth Guides also spent time making a display for the town library on Fairtrade.In April the group launched its town directory of local businesses and community groups that either sell or provide fair-trade goods, funded by the Co-op Community Fund and the local neighbourhood forum.