Arnside Fairtrade Group

Arnside Fairtrade Group is an alliance of like-minded groups set up to raise awareness of Fairtrade and actively promote it to the local community and visitors to the area. We are a small, friendly group, currently consisting of six members, and hold committee meetings approximately five times a year. We are always keen to welcome new members so, if you would like to join or find out more, please contact Rachel Dutfield on the details below.

Formed in January 2008, Arnside became a Fairtrade Village in 2009 and the village school was granted Fairtrade status in 2017. In September 2024, we will celebrate 15 years as a Fairtrade Village and the Fairtrade mark will have been in existence for 30 years.

We encourage local businesses to stock Fairtrade products and have produced a leaflet listing the shops, cafes and outlets that support our aims. The Notice Board situated outside the Albion pub has details of forthcoming local events, we hold coffee mornings as often as possible and have links with local churches, the Archive Group, the W.I. and, most recently, Sustainable Arnside.

The involvement of the Arnside National School represents an important part of children’s education regarding understanding global issues. The children have taken part in various activities in and around the village and have worked hard to achieve their important Fairtrade status.

The Fairtrade Garden can be found on the lower promenade near to the public toilets. We voluntarily took over this small patch of land a while ago when it had become full of weeds. Children from the village school helped to plant the shrubs and bulbs and we maintain the plot as a reminder of the work of our group in the village.