Fairtrade Guest Blogger Sally Reith

This was my first Guest Blog post for Only Fair, an online store selling a variety of fair trade gifts.

I am a keen fair trade supporter and I am the South East Supporter Relations Officer for Shared Interest, the world’s only 100% fair trade lender. With more than 8,700 UK members investing anything from £100 to £20,000, Shared Interest is able to pool these funds and help developing countries trade their way out of poverty.

On my recent summer holiday I decided to follow what some have termed the latest trend of the recession, the ‘staycation’. Combining some travel around the UK with visits to friends and family I was able earn some free accommodation in exchange for some interesting conversation and the odd bottle of wine (Fairtrade wine preferred!). Visits to my Grandma always prove to be interesting with her tales of her childhood and on this visit I was not disappointed. She told me about the resourcefulness of her mother who would buy jumpers from the charity shop, unravel the garment, wash and stretch the wool and then knit something new for them to wear. This reminded me of the knitting lessons grandma had given me as a child and my recent re-interest in this crafty skill. Having re-taught myself the art of casting on and casting off I am now the proud owner of a hand knitted ‘fair trade’ scarf. The wool is fairly traded and the colours of the stripes are as close a match to the green and blue of the Fairtrade mark. It compliments my Fairtrade banana costume perfectly!