Fairtrade bid gets the nod

The announcement was made to mark Fairtrade fortnight, which runs from February 28 to March 13.

The Fairtrade label is a guarantee to consumers that the producers of items made in some of the world’s poorest countries have been paid a fair wage.

It can be found on a range of products, including bananas, wine, cotton, coffee and chocolate.

The award was given to both Huddersfield and Kirklees as a whole after a steering committee led by Coun Julie Stewart-Turner (Green, Newsome) successfully demonstrated to the Fairtrade Foundation that Fairtrade was growing in the area.

But much of North Kirklees had already proved its commitment to ethical goods as Mirfield was named a Fairtrade town in 2005 and Batley and Spen became a Fairtrade constituency in 2008.

A range of events are going on in churches, markets and community centres across Kirklees throughout Fairtrade Fortnight to promote ethically traded goods.