Burgess Hill Town Council Help Point,
96 Church Walk,
Burgess Hill,
RH15 9AS

Tel Enquiries: 01444 247726
Fax Enquiries: 01444 233707

In 2006 Burgess Hill became a Fairtrade Town, after Burgess Hill Town Council passed a resolution in support of the campaign, and formed a steering group of community volunteers to achieve this status. Fairtrade helps to protect the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in developing countries whose lives are catastrophically affected by falling commodity prices and unfair international trading rules.

Burgess Hill Fair Trade Group is now independent and continues to raise awareness among Burgess Hill residents and businesses about how to help reduce the poverty of overseas producers by supporting the Fairtrade campaign.

The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. As sales of Fairtrade products increase, more farmers in developing countries can join the Fairtrade system and receive a fair price for their goods. Both farmers and plantation workers receive a premium to spend on social and environmental projects allowing them to invest in long-term improvements.

The Fairtrade Foundation is the organisation responsible for the certification of Fairtrade products on sale in the UK. They have specified five goals that must be reached in order to achieve Fairtrade Town status. These include having a range of at least two Fairtrade products readily available in the area’s shops and local cafes/restaurants and Fairtrade products being used by a number of local work places and community organisations. Look for this mark on Fairtrade Products.

A directory of where Fairtrade products can be purchased in Burgess Hill is available at Burgess Hill Town Council’s Help Point at 96 Church Walk or telephone 01444 247726 or email helppoint@burgesshill.gov.uk. Further information can be found on the Fairtrade Group’s website www.fairtradeburgesshill.ik.com or on the Fairtrade Foundation's website www.fairtrade.org.uk.