RESIDENTS were asked to make the big swap when this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight was marked in the borough.

Members of Welwyn Hatfield Fairtrade Group were asking people to change their everyday shopping basket items such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cotton t-shirts, pineapples, bananas, cakes, and sugar for more ethically-sourced items.

The group held events at both the Galleria in Hatfield and the Howard Centre in WGC.

Organiser Gill Pinfold said: “Cups of Fairtrade tea and coffee along with samples of Fairtrade biscuits were offered to shoppers.

“More than 100 cups of tea or coffee were drunk and sales of Fairtrade goods went well.”

She added: “Fairtrade guarantees producer organisations a fair and stable price for their products that covers their costs and enables them to support their families and invest in a better future.

“Although Fairtrade products are much more widely available these days, buying them is still not yet the norm for everyone.

“However, we were very encouraged the majority of people we spoke with already use Fairtrade products or were willing to swap to Fairtrade.”