Brilliant volunteers hard at work upstairs in the James St., shop -

To all SUSSED members & Supporters - A skip will be delivered to the current shop on May 15 which will be used by the business above SUSSED, which is moving into the present shop. Thus we require as much work as possible to be completed on the new premises in James St. asap and especially in the week starting Monday April 30th. Can I urge everyone who can offer help / assistance to get in touch via facebook, email info@sustainablewales.org.uk or the contact form here? - Robert Minhinnick

SUSSED is moving to larger premises in James Street, Porthcawl. 

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As a result of the successful visit to south Wales in 2011 by members of Czech rural charities, Margaret Minhinnick, Director of the Porthcawl-based charity, ‘Sustainable Wales’, will make a reciprocal visit to the Czech Republic in late April, 2012.

She will be accompanied by Martin Fitton, former Director of the Brecon Beacons National Park, and Steve Garret, local food advocate and the founding Director of the Riverside Farmers Market, Cardiff.

Amongst the highlights during the (24) Czech’s visit to Wales was their stay in local B+B’s in Porthcawl and their visits to local bars and restaurants! The trip also included sharing ideas and experience from practical environmental projects,  like ‘Creation’ in Cwm Garw,  ‘Coed Hills’ at St. Hilary,  Sustainable Wales and SUSSED.

Margaret Minhinnick commented: “These international links are important because visitors discover good practice from other parts of the world.

In south Wales, the Czechs learned about time-banking, community supported agriculture and community allotments, farmers’ markets, recycling and reuse projects.

“The Welsh voluntary movement is wide ranging, but hopefully we will benefit from unique Czech experience in rural co-operation and crafts.”

The Welsh party will fly to Prague, then stay at a resort in the Bohemian-Moravian highlands.

More information: Margaret Minhinnick 01656 783405

The government has announced it has accepted “virtually all” the recommendations from Mary Portas in its bid to rejuvenate UK High Streets.

These will include dedicated “town teams” to manage High Streets…

BBC coverage

Daily Telegraph article

UK Govt site: Review documents

Clueless Dogs is the first collection of poetry by Rhian Edwards. Already a noted performer of both her songs and poetry, this book confirms her startling talent.

Poems like ‘The Welshman Who Couldn’t Sing’ chronicle a fraught childhood in Bridgend, south Wales, where the sensitive child escapes through imaginative games of ‘Playing Dead’ and ‘Broken Lifeboat’. Full of verve and humour, with a spiky syntax featuring hard-edged consonants, her language has a winning honesty and intensity. Later poems chronicle teenage lusts, student rivalries, damaged peers and tense situations. Although the author doesn’t flinch from ruthless depictions in which we are often implicated by her use of the second person ‘You’, there is an underlying sweetness, an elegiac thread most evident in the poems of maturity, like ‘Back to Bed’ ,’Safe’ ,’The Wrong Season’ full of both the sensual rapture of love and a clear-eyed realization of its inevitable disappointments. Witness the poet in performance and it is impossible not to hear her distinctive tones when reading her work. Clueless Dogs is a brave and beautiful first book.

We’ve done a lot but we could do more.  You would be part of a great team who are very sociable!

Extra advice and help in areas such as accounts, administration, grants and fundraising, project development, publicity, IT, design, research, event coordination and also in the shop with sales, displays, orders etc. would be very welcome. Please contact Margaret 01656 783405 or email mm@sustainablewales.org.uk to arrange a meeting.

Sales of  Fairtrade products increased 12% to £1.32bn in 2011, as cocoa and sugar both show significant growth.

The figures mean Fairtrade premiums, the extra received by producers for business or social development increased by over 10% in 2011 compared with 2010. 

 A  new briefing reveals the sugar and confectionery industry are stepping up more than ever to meet sustainability challenges, and deliver a better deal for small scale farmers and workers.

More information at BDaily Business Network

Current BBC News coverage of Fairtrade issues

The Bridgend Fairtrade Campaign gets a boost with unemployed graduates, schools, groups, churches, HMParc Prison, SUSSED and BCBC Council all advancing awareness across the borough. Cocktails, coffee, cotton and chocolate all feature highly in all events. For a list of events see our events listing here.

They join the UK wide Fairtrade Fortnight Campaign (Feb 27 – March 11th) to highlight the importance of supporting producers and their families in the developing world.

The aim is to encourage people to ‘take a step’ in the right direction and choose a Fairtrade brand of food, fruit or even cotton. Retailers will be challenged to stock these commodities and join the trade justice movement.  Councillors will be lobbied to do more.

“Small daily steps will make a massive difference towards securing livelihoods in the third world say the campaigners”.

More information on Fairtrade Fortnight UK site

“The Bridgend Borough’s campaign is growing with schoolchildren putting on the pressure asking parents, retailers, food suppliers and all of us to change our habits and choose more FT commodities.”

“Nottage Primary is also lobbying and petitioning Bridgend Council, requesting more ethically traded ingredients for lunch. Many local schools already purchase Fairtrade uniforms” remarked Margaret Minhinnick, Chairperson of the Bridgend FT Partnership.