FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Garstang & Ghana take the ‘P’ out of poverty

The people of Garstang in Lancashire will be Standing Up Against Poverty at the Discovery Centre in Garstang on Sunday 15th October to show their support for the Global Month of Action.  The event will take place between 11:30am and 12:30pm next to the flags that commemorate the link between Garstang and its twin town of New Koforidua in Ghana.  A simultaneous event will take place in New Koforidua next to their identical flags.

During the event, entitled ‘Take The ‘P’ Out Of Poverty’ people will be invited to read poems, prose, prayers, psalms, or perform parts of a play on the subject of poverty.  Those attending will then be invited into the Discovery Centre where they will be shown two short films on New Koforidua and Fairtrade followed by a talk by Adam Askew from Oxfam’s Activist Support Team.  Adam will speak about the injustices of our present world trading system and how it directly affects people living in villages such as New Koforidua.  

Adam says, “If Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America were each to increase their share of world exports by one per cent, the resulting gains in income could lift 128 million people out of poverty.  In Africa alone, this would generate $70bn - approximately five times what the continent receives in aid.”

At 1pm there will be a live link up with New Koforidua to show solidarity in the fight against poverty.  This will be followed by a buffet lunch generously donated by Garstang & District Partnership.  There will also be a display for people to find out more about New Koforidua and the link.

Bruce Crowther, Chair of the Garstang And New Koforidua Linking Association (GANKLA) says, “Promoting Fairtrade and alleviating poverty have always been at the very heart and soul of our link.  The campaign for Trade Justice should not be solely for privileged people in the rich developed world, but instead we should join forces with those who are at the sharp end of these injustices.  As a campaigner it is important to me that we have their support and blessing and I hope that this event is the first of many joint campaigns with our twin town.”

On Monday 16th October Adam Askew will take part in an Assembly at St. Thomas’s Primary School and again a live link up with school children in New Koforidua will take place.

Notes to Editor
 
1.    The GCAP month of action runs from September 16th through to October 17th The Global call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is uniting again in global solidarity for the Month of Mobilisation 2006.
Over a 24 hour period across the 15th and 16th October, in the build up to the International day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October, we are aiming to set the world record for the most amount of people standing up against poverty at the same time.  Thousands of people in over a hundred countries will be taking part wherever they are - from schools to faith meetings, from the biggest offices to the smallest villages.

2.    Garstang twinned with the cocoa farming community of New Koforidua in 2002.  Many of the farmers in New Koforidua are members of the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative who sell some of their cocoa into the Fairtrade market.  Kuapa Kokoo have part ownership of the Day Chocolate Company who make the Fairtrade chocolate Divine and Dubble.

3.    Garstang became the world’s first Fairtrade Town in November 2001, which started the Fairtrade Town initiative in the UK.  There are presently over 200 Fairtrade Towns in the UK including cities such as Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Lancaster.  There are at least another 230 places with campaigns running to achieve Fairtrade status, including the city of London. Fairtrade Town initiatives based on the UK model are now also running in the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Norway, Sweden and Australia with schemes soon to start up in France, Holland, Italy, USA and Canada.  To find out more about Fairtrade Towns and to see a full list of declared Towns visit www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved_fairtrade_towns.htm

4.    Oxfam GB is a development, relief, and campaigning organisation that works with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world.  For more information visit www.Oxfam.org.uk  

5.    The Fairtrade Foundation was set up in the early 1990s by agencies including Cafod, Christian Aid, Oxfam and the World Development Movement to respond to the human consequences of collapsing world commodity prices.  The first FAIRTRADE Marked product, Green and Black’s Maya Gold chocolate, appeared on the supermarket shelf in 1994; Cafedirect coffee followed soon after.

6.    Garstang and District Partnership’s vision is to ensure that Garstang is a 'great place to live, visit and invest.' GDP through the Market Town Initiative is funded by the North West Development Agency.  The initiative uses funds to bring a new lease of life to market towns, so that they provide improved access to the services that towns people and surrounding rural communities depend on.

Key Contacts:

For ‘Take the ‘P’ out of Poverty’ event or Garstang’s link with New Koforidua, contact:
Bruce Crowther
Chair of the Garstang And New Koforidua Linking Association:
01995 602637
07866 541940
email: bruce@crowther1450.fsnet.co.uk
 
Garstang Oxfam Group
Graham Hulme
Chair of the Garstang Oxfam Group
01995 605876
email: Hulmesons@btinternet.com

Garstang Fairtrade Steering Group
Elaine Gisbourne
Chair of the Garstang Fairtrade Steering Group 01995 602162
email: elainegisbourne@fish.co.uk

Garstang & District Partnership contact Partnership Support Officer
Angela Kershaw
01995 600551
email: akershawgdp@hotmail.com

###