St George's Hartlepool elder Chris Eddowes is well known to many within our synod. She is our representative on the new central Mission Committee; and within the synod she heads up TLS (Training for Learning and Serving). But perhaps her greatest enthusiasm is seen in her commitment to Fair Trade.
And this year Chris and her husband Richard have vowed to spend Fair Trade Fortnight (February 25 - March 9) living exclusively on Fairtrade products - with the addition, of course, of locally grown and traded fruit, vegetables and meat.
Their commitment and enthusiasm have made them the subject of a recent article in the Northern Echo, which notes that Chris runs the Fairtrade shop at St George's, and that she and Richard are both stalwarts of the Hartlepool Fairtrade Steering Group.
For both Chris and Richard, and for many people in our churches who are involved in this special fortnight, Fairtrade raises all sorts of issues as they try to put their principles into practice. "Maybe we shouldn't be asking why Fairtrade costs a bit more, but why the rest of our food is so cheap. Someone, somewhere is paying the price."
Go to the Fairtrade website