Let us study the Housing Poster. Those of us who are lucky enough to have homes know that our home is for our family. The poster makes it clear that in one low standard house, there can be seven families living together. It is a level of housing that is despair. Fairtrade helps poor farmers to be independent and to ensure that they can live with some semblance of dignity. So a particular banana co-operative develops housing for their workers with the help of the premium payment.

The second poster shows the result of the premium payment for a cotton co-operative. It enables them to build a little maternity hospital where children for the first time have been born in safety and comfort.

We should be very proud of what Fairtrade achieves and it is through your own efforts that this happens. Just add one extra Fairtrade product to your shopping and Llanelli people can make a massive difference especially now we have achieved Fairtrade Status as a Fairtrade Zone.

Why was it important to achieve official Fairtrade Status?
In order to do this we had to involve every part of our community.
There were 5 goals that had to be reached.

• Goal 1 – support from all the councils, Town, Rural and Community
• Goal 2 – research all supermarkets, shops and cafes where possible and confirm that they have Fairtrade products, (huge support from all the local Co-ops)

• Goal 3 – Schools ( massive support from Carmarthenshire County Council), faith communities, workplaces and other community organisations that they use Fairtrade products
• Goal 4 – Media coverage – lists of events, local press and social media
• Goal 5 – Steering Group and their roles

As you can see, by doing this, we are raising awareness of Fairtrade and hoping that the people of Llanelli will buy more Fairtrade. When we look at the posters we realise that by doing this, we are helping to eradicate poverty and helping children to be born in safety and comfort. These are all small steps but many small steps can become a huge footprint.

I call on the people of Llanelli to continue their support and visit our Facebook page – @fairtradellanelli and our website www.llanelli-fairtrade.paragonconsultants.co.uk. You can find it easily with its title Fairtrade Llanelli. It shows what we are continuing to do and need your help to do so. Let us work towards a globally responsible Wales together through Fairtrade.

This new law wants to make Wales a better place to live in for the people of Wales now and in the future.

There are 7 goals so that the public know what they must work towards.

• Goal 1 – A globally responsible Wales
• Goal 2 – A prosperous Wales
• Goal 3 – A resilient Wales
• Goal 4 – A healthier Wales
• Goal 5 – A more equal Wales
• Goal 6 – A Wales of cohesive communities
• Goal 7 – A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language

The public bodies must work on all of the goals, not just one or two.

2008 – Wales became World’s First Fair Trade Nation – an extraordinary Achievement

2008 – Llanelli started its first attempt to become a Fairtrade Town
2015 – Goal 1 for a globally responsible Wales
2018 – Llanelli achieved Fairtrade status as a Fairtrade Zone
2018 – Next step to have Llanelli a Fairtrade Town inside a Fairtrade Zone

Let us continue the struggle to support Fairtrade in Llanelli and work towards a globally responsible Wales.