On Saturday 11th May at 10am you can join Mike DeVilliers and Bob Davidson at the War Memorial (Potted Meat Stick) in Baildon near the roundabout and bus terminus for a walk along part of the Bradford Fair Trade Way to Bradford Cathedral.
This is a 6 mile linear walk with bus transport back to Baildon. The route follows paths, roads and the Aire Valley Greenway, with one steep ascent, and we expect to arrive at Bradford Cathedral for 1pm. You can bring your lunch for a picnic in the Cathedral Close, or head into town to find lunch.
May 11th is World Fair Trade Day and its purpose is to celebrate the contributions to the fight against poverty, exploitation, and climate change.
The Fair Trade movement is all about ensuring that workers around the globe are treated fairly with decent wages and working conditions. Fair Trade is a trading partnership that is concerned with the human rights of all those involved with the creation and distribution of a product. This includes people being paid a fair wage, ensuring that the product or the materials for the product are ethically sourced, as well as fighting against issues concerning the economy, gender, inequality, and climate change.
The International Fair Trade Organisation (IFTO) is the co-ordinating body with over 30 different agencies in 130 countries. And World Fair Trade Day is to highlight and celebrate the work of the I F T O.
This year is particularly special since one of the key founders of the movement, Rev. Dr. Frans van der Hoff – who lived most of his life in Mexico – died in February. His energy and skills created a functioning international organisation which upholds the rights of the poor.
During the walk, Mike will tell you more about Fair Trade and there will be information and refreshments available at the Cathedral.
It is likely the sun will shine so be prepared with hats and appropriate clothing as well as strong footwear.
Update from the walk
On Saturday 11th May Mike de Villiers and Bob Davidson led a walk along part of the Bradford Fair Trade Way to Bradford Cathedral to mark World Fair Trade Day. May is also marked as National Walking Month. Here is the team at the Cathedral, before they tucked into some well deserved refreshments!
The walk was around 5.7 miles, which took them a fraction under 3 hours to complete, meaning an average of 1.9mph. The walk took in cycleways, the Gaisby Lane site of the Bradford Cathedral Woodland Project, and Bolton Woods.
“It’s so important – as Canon Ned Lunn says about the Cathedral’s eco work – it’s about providing for people where they are, being just so they can keep on making a living. It’s to make sure they are treated justly.”