Bradford on Avon has lots to celebrate because we’ve been a Fairtrade town for 10 years. On October 12 Mayor John Potter unveiled a sign placed under the town map that says Proudly Supporting Fairtrade. Many friends and supporters came along, and celebrated with an anniversary cake and Fairtrade sparkling wine.

The mayor started by reminding us that the poorest 40 per cent of the world has only five per cent of global income, poor farmers cannot compete in world trade, and about 218 million children are involved in child labour worldwide. He said Fairtrade was born to change this, and now one in three bananas sold in this country are Fairtrade, 40 per cent of the sugar, and 20 per cent of the ground coffee.

Three quarters of the shops and cafés in Bradford on Avon offer Fairtrade to their customers.

Fairtrade ensures farmers get paid enough for the products we buy from them to ensure their children go to school instead of out to work, and they can invest in their farms for the future. The future looks bright because Fairtrade has demonstrated that we really and truly can change global trade. There will be changes and challenges ahead as we are aiming for a world where there is no unfair trade.

Vivienne Kynaston, Elms Cross Drive, Bradford on Avon.