Join Rotherham in celebrating fair food

The nine-course meal, which will take place on Friday March 18 at 6.30pm, will be hosted by Rotherham Council's Fairtrade Steering Group, in conjunction with the students at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology's training restaurant, The Wharncliffe.

The meal, which is being created by students at the college, will be entirely made up of both Fairtrade and locally produced food to help promote the cause, which Rotherham Council has supported since 2004.

Tickets are priced at £30 per head, which includes pre-dinner drinks and table wine. Entertainment or the evening will include live music and a magician.

All benefits from the proceeds of the dinner will go to supporting the Lighthouse and Shiloh homeless charities in Rotherham, and an international charity, Positive Women, in Swaziland.

Cabinet Member for Resources and Commissioning, Councillor Ken Wyatt, commented: "Both Fairtrade, and supporting local produce, are something that we at Rotherham Council feel very strongly about.

"Fairtrade works by showing the power consumers can have when choosing the products they buy and how that choice can help to ensure that producers in Third World countries get a better deal from international trade.

"It makes sure that the farmers and workers involved in the scheme avoid exploitation and that they can make a fair wage for their work, which in turn improves their standard of living.

"It is hoped that through this event more people will switch to buying Fairtrade products and assist the Fairtrade Foundation's vision of an even bigger movement for positive change on unfair trade."

There is more information about Fairtrade and its policies on their website.