SHOPS and businesses in Droitwich are being encouraged to take part in the town’s Fairtrade Fortnight from Monday, February 23 until Monday, March 9, with the Droitwich Fairtrade Group putting on a display in the library, and a stall running at the community market on Friday, February 27.

There will be a coffee morning at Droitwich Methodist Church on Saturday, February 28 from 10am to noon, with a Fairtrade stall and activities for children to join in with.

The town has held its Fairtrade status since 2007, and this year sees many of the shops and businesses joined by the first bank to take part in the scheme, with staff at Natwest agreeing to drink Fairtrade teas and coffees.

Judith Cussen, chair of the Droitwich Fairtrade Group, said: "We are delighted that NatWest has made this very responsible decision. There are a wide range of Fairtrade products now available and we hope that other businesses in the town will follow NatWest's example."

All the businesses which stock Fairtrade products are due to be included in a new Droitwich Fairtrade directory, which is currently in production, using money raised through the green charity disc scheme at the town’s branch of Waitrose, and it will soon be availablefrom the library, as well as several other venues in Droitwich.

For more information on Fairtrade Fortnight or the directory, visit droitwichfairtradegroup.org.uk.