One World Centre Isle of Man

Download the Fairtrade Trail leaflet here

To mark Fairtrade Fortnight and the approach to our 15^th year as a Fairtrade Island, the Isle of Man Fairtrade Group and One World Centre have devised a fun walking trail to follow through Douglas Town Centre.

The trail will link 15 different outlets and organisations in the town who either sell or use Fairtrade items. Each location will display a Fairtrade fact which trail followers will use to complete a series of questions on the trail leaflet. Once completed, the participants can enter their answers into a free prize draw with the chance to win a box of Fairtrade goodies.

The aim of the trail is to raise awareness of Fairtrade and the part it plays in ensuring small farmers and producers around the world get a fair deal. Fairtrade is the only certification that combines a fair minimum price for products and an extra amount of money – called the Fairtrade Premium – for farmers to invest in their communities or in making their businesses more sustainable.

The trail will be in place from 21st February to 6th March and all entries to the draw should be with the One World Centre by 8th March. Trail leaflets can be downloaded here or picked up at Douglas Henry Bloom Library, Douglas Town Centre Management Office or other outlets in the town.

The One World Centre is moving. From Tuesday 4th January 2022 we will be operating from our new office on Howard Street, Douglas, IM1 2EQ (visitors will find the door along the side of the Promenade Church building but please ring ahead as opening hours vary). Our new telephone number is (07624) 310191.

Happy New Year everyone.

You may have heard that the Disasters Emergency Committee has launched an urgent appeal for Afghanistan where children are already dying of starvation. A million more under the age of five are said to be at risk of dying over the next three months and more than eight million people are on the brink of famine.

Launching the appeal, the DEC said: “Years of conflict, the Covid-19 pandemic, a change of government and the worst drought in 27 years have led to catastrophic hunger. The situation will only get worse as the freezing weather sets in.

“We must act now to save lives. DEC charities are already on the ground providing lifesaving aid, scaling up their operations and reaching those most in need.”

Help is needed to:

• Deliver emergency food and cash to hungry families
• Provide urgent nutrition to young children and mothers
• Support healthcare facilities to treat malnutrition
• Provide winter kits to help displaced families stay warm

As you will be aware, the One World Centre usually coordinates a street collection for DEC Appeals. This is especially challenging at the moment with the coronavirus pandemic and many people in isolation. We are therefore asking our supporters to share the news of the appeal to their own friends, family and work networks and encourage people to donate online at https://donation.dec.org.uk/afghanistan-crisis-appeal

We will have a bucket for donations at the Christian Aid/Fairtrade pop-up shop at the back of the Promenade Methodist Church this Saturday 18th December (it’s well worth popping in to see all the fantastic goodies for sale anyway!) We are also exploring the possibility of a collection outside Tesco so if anyone is able to volunteer for a stint please let us know asap.

On so-called Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year, it feels like a good time to announce the winners of our SDG Art Competition on the subject of Being a Responsible Consumer. This was a competition that was run earlier in the year and asked entrants to reflect on Sustainable Development Goal No 12, Responsible Consumption and Production. We had some very interesting entries which were judged by OWC Chair Phil Craine and IoM Arts Council Board Member Jade Boylan.

Congratulations to overall winner Sarah Pitts, and also to our two runners up Hannah Grove and Pat Wiles. Also many thanks to Shakti Man for helping out with prizes!

Thanks to everyone who took part – we’ll be running another art competition on one of the SDG themes next year.

There is a great opportunity to hear from Chine McDonald, author, regular speaker on BBC Radio 4, Trustee of Greenbelt and head of community fundraising and public engagement at Christian Aid, who is visiting the Island to speak at the Manx Museum next week.

Hosted by Judith Ley, the evening will be a challenging and thought-provoking event for anyone interested in the environment, equality and justice. The event starts at 7pm on Tuesday 26th October. More information and link to free tickets here. 

We were delighted to help facilitate this photographic exhibition from Send A Cow, showcasing their ongoing work to combat hunger in rural Africa.

Called “Food and Livelihoods in Burundi”, it is on show at the Isle of Man Airport and will remain available to view until the end of October.

Featuring 16 stunning photographs from Burundi, the exhibition is a way of demonstrating the work that is being funded by the Isle of Man Government through the Isle of Man’s international development budget. It was formally opened by outgoing Chief Minister Howard Quayle who spoke of the importance of richer countres helping other less privileged communities.

Richard Granville and Doug Statt of Send A Cow were also in attendance and earlier in the day they visited Ballakermeen High School to give an assembly. A team of students from Ballakermeen had represented Send A Cow in last year’s One World Charity Challenge, winning £1,750 for the charity.

The exhibition is free to attend and is located in the atrium area of the top floor of the airport.

With the election only days away, we have collated replies from candidates on their attitude to international development and aid. You can see their answers here.

Not all prospective MHKs have replied (come on Arbory!) so maybe you would like to ask your candidates the same questions if their answer does not yet appear.