An evening event was held on Thursday 22nd February 2018, for the Chairman of the Wycombe for Fairtrade Steering Group, Mike King, to present the Wycombe Fairtrade Town Renewal Certificate to the Chairman of Wycombe District Council, Cllr Suzanne Brown.
Around 30 councillors attended the event following a long meeting that did not finish until 8.45pm. I think they found the food and drink refreshed their spirits. There was a very positive atmosphere and the wooden-panelled committee room was an ideal location. It was interesting talking to some of the councillors and listening to their ideas regarding moving Fairtrade forward.
A couple of the councillors had been exploring the possibility of improving signage to reflect that High Wycombe is a Fairtrade Town in dialogue with Bucks County Council. The Steering Group had no idea this avenue was being pursued. Also, councillors took away many copies of the latest “Directory of Wycombe Town Fairtrade Outlets 2018 -2019”.
The overall impression was that it cemented the Wycombe For Fairtrade Group’s links with the Council, and that our plans for future networking with international groups and producer cooperatives received many nods of approval and favourable comments.
This evening turned out to be exactly the informal, enjoyable, celebration event that the Steering Group hoped it would be.