Diocese of London achieves Fairtrade status

The Bishop of London is celebrating the achievement of Fairtrade status for the Diocese of London by using pedal power to make smoothies.

Dr Richard Chartres is outside St Paul’s Cathedral today, where he is pedalling on a special eco-bike to make the Fairtrade fruit smoothies.

The status of ‘Fairtrade Diocese’ is awarded by the Fairtrade Foundation to dioceses where at least half of the churches are certified as Fairtrade, meaning that they sell or use Fairtrade tea, coffee and other products wherever possible.

The Bishop of London will hold a special service at St Paul’s Cathedral on Sunday, where he will be presented with the Fairtrade Diocese Certificate by the Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation, Dr Harriet Lamb.

The service will be attended by one of the foundation’s new patrons, Adjoa Andoh, and nut growers from Malawi.

The Fairtrade label is applied to products that seek to ensure that disadvantaged farmers and workers in developing countries get a better deal by setting a minimum price and minimum standards across the production process.

According to the Fairtrade Foundation, more than 4,000 churches across Britain have gained Fairtrade Church status.

Sales of Fairtrade goods have rocketed in recent years, increasing 40% year on year.