Fairtrade accolade awarded to Church Stretton

Church Stretton has been officially named as Shropshire's fifth Fairtrade town after almost a decade of campaigning from dedicated volunteers.

National Fairtrade leaders were impressed that 34 shops stock ethically-sourced goods in the south Shropshire town, which joins Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Whitchurch as a Fairtrade town.

Don Clow, chairman of Church Stretton Fairtrade Steering Group, was proud the town was joining a network of about 500 towns across Britain with Fairtrade status.

He said: "It's not a straightforward process to get the status as the Fairtrade Foundation sets quite a strict criteria."

A banner has been put up in the town to mark the award and campaigners plan to lobby for the status to be included on welcome signs to the town

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne was at a ceremony to announce the Fairtrade Town Status at the Co-op supermarket on Thursday.