Over 300 towns in the UK are already designated, with around 200 more in the pipeline.

What does this mean? The independent Fairtrade Foundation sets five goals which must be reached before a town can be designated – these include support from the Local Authority, a target number of retail and catering outlets in town, good media and on-line coverage and the support of all kinds of community groups, churches, schools, offices, etc.

Find out more at www.fairtrade.org.uk

What is already happening? The Town Council meeting on March 3 agreed to support this campaign. The Exmouth Library organised a poetry competition for Fairtrade Fortnight, with prizes given by Oxfam and Tesco. Several shops and stores in Exmouth already stock and sell fairly traded goods, though they do not all publicise the fact. Exmouth probably has already the required number of retail and catering outlets. Most churches in the town use fairly traded tea and coffee, some with regular ‘Traidcraft’ stalls. The Journal and Herald has carried items with pictures recently.

Martin Odoch a tea grower from Uganda visited Devon last month and addressed Exmouth Town Council and a public meeting at the Glenorchy United Reformed Church Exeter Road. He spoke eloquently about how Fair Trade has transformed the life of his area; the small extra price paid adds extraordinary value to a poor community, such that they can now run a health centre and junior school.

What next? A larger steering group will be assembled over the coming months, representative of all sectors of the town. Research will be done over the summer into the present use of fairly traded products in the tourist industry and in local offices and churches and community groups.

Fairtrade towns in Devon include: Dawlish, Newton Abbot, Crediton, Tavistock, Bideford, Barnstaple, Teignmouth, with Tiverton and Bovey Tracey working towards the Award. Exeter already has Fairtrade City status and Exeter University gained Fairtrade status in December 2007.

A campaign for designation for the whole county of Devon is well advanced: www.fairtradedevon.org.uk

It’s time for Exmouth to be a Fairtrade Town

Further contact: Peter Brain: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Martin John Nicholls: 01395 222304 (office and answer-phone)

THE QUIET MIND CENTRE

Registered Charity No. 1029636

The Centre is open from 10am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays), and welcomes all those who are financially disadvantaged with health or stress-related problems. It offers counselling, complementary therapies and healing to all those in need who are unable to afford the normal prices for these treatments. There is a suggested minimum donation of £5 per treatment session. Anyone meeting the Centre’s criteria can contact the Centre by calling in at 14 Hartley Road, Exmouth, or telephoning on 01395 270070 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Further information is available on our website: www.quiet-mind.org.

It is also possible to make online donations via our website. You can donate to the work the Quiet Mind Center do via this link.

Exmouth Players are an amateur theatre group, open to all. We put on four major productions a year, plus a Pantomime, plus a one act play festival. In addition, we rent out the theatre to other groups – see our website: www.blackmoretheatre.co.uk.

blackmore theatre

(Click to get driving directions)

10 Bicton Street

Exmouth

EX8 2RU

The theatre is owned by Exmouth Players, subject to a loan from the local authority. We have plans to develop the building, including a lift for the disabled and the elderly, a foyer/box office on the ground floor, ground floor toilets (which will be disabled friendly) and a multi-purpose room on the ground floor which will be available for all manner of functions, as well as providing us with much needed rehearsal space off-stage. We are actively seeking grant aid to achieve these aims, and we have a ’buy a brick’ scheme in operation. See our website for further details (www.blackmoretheatre.co.uk)

 

On the 20th April 2008 there was a sponsored dog walk along Exmouth seafront. The walk was organised by Clean cuts home grooming to raise much needed funds for the Nowzad dogs.

It began at 10am outside the beach pub and continued the length of the beach.

The walk was open to anyone who wished to join in with or without a dog. Well done to Tracy for raising over £400 and please visit www.cleancutshomegrooming.co.uk for more information.

For Pictures, please click here .