As we draw to the end of Fairtrade Fortnight and mark International Women’s Day tomorrow, I’d like to share the story of a local resident in Ettingshall who does a huge amount to inspire me every day and spreads the message of Fairtrade too.
She goes by the name of Julia Farrell, and she’s a Bilston girl! She works tirelessly on Wolverhampton’s Fairtrade Partnership, the partnership was huge driving factor which led to Wolverhampton’s certified Fairtrade status.
Jools spends much of her time ensuring the message of Fairtrade gets out across the city. The message is this- by buying Fairtrade products we ensure that farmers and producers of the foods we consume get a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work.
Jools said: “With simple changes in your shopping choices you will enable farmers in developing countries to live sustainably and it empowers them to take control of their lives and enable them to live better lives, for them and their families and also build better communities.”
For over a decade, Julia Farrell has been a part of the Fairtrade Partnership. She recently took the campaign into a school in Wolverhampton where she presented a film to help children learn about the importance of a fair day’s wage.
As well as being a huge driver of Fairtrade in our city, Julia does so much more. When she’s not working, she spends her free time volunteering in schools to help children develop their reading and writing.
She supports many community and charity events, and pops in to check on local elderly neighbours regularly.
She is a huge inspiration to us all.
