The Fairtrade Foundation gave us this status in 2006 after declaring that our parishes, cathedral and diocesan bodies were doing a good job in promoting the concept of Fairtrade.The Church of England’s Diocese of Portsmouth is a ‘Fairtrade diocese’. That means we’ve gained an international reputation for offering a fair deal to producers in developing countries.

Our parishes and diocesan groups make a conscious effort to use and sell Fairtrade products, which are those certified by the Fairtrade Foundation as offering a fair price to farmers who supply the raw materials in developing countries. That fair price means they avoid the problems associated with fluctuating commodity prices that could drive them out of business.

To gain Fairtrade diocese status, we had to show that one-third of our parishes were ‘Fairtrade churches’, our diocesan synod had to support the principle, and Fairtrade products had to be available in our diocesan offices and in meetings of our boards and committees. In 2012, we renewed that Fairtrade status, using the more up-to-date criteria specified by the Fairtrade Foundation.

The list of churches in our diocese officially accredited as ‘Fairtrade churches’ is below. If your church is a ‘Fairtrade church’, but doesn’t feature on this list, please let us know by sending an email to matt.lockwood@portsmouth.anglican.org.