Have you seen the snowdrops appearing all over St Mary’s churchyard? Since 2000, we’ve celebrated Snowdrop Saturday, with local people digging in snowdrops they’ve brought from their gardens. Over the years this has become a popular part of our village and social calendar.
As a Fairtrade church we’ve always planned the date to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight – to highlight the often underpaid and exploited workers who grow so much of our food, and the cotton for our clothes.
This year Fairtrade Fortnight is from February 22nd to March 7th. It’ll feel very different! 2020 has been such a hard year, and our active campaigning and meeting together will continue to be challenging. So though we can’t have our usual Snowdrop Saturday, we want to keep up the tradition of planting snowdrops and focussing on Fairtrade.
How about instead of the one Saturday, if you have snowdrops from your garden to divide and dig in, might you find any time between Feb 22nd and March 7th to suit you, and plant them where you see a space in the churchyard? You’ll need to be socially-distanced, but they needn’t!
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us more than ever how interconnected we are globally. Such interconnection is at the very heart of the Fairtrade message. Let’s drive long-term change not only with our shopping choices but with our support – and help keep Twyford churchyard a living reminder?
Celia Close (Traidcraft rep for St Mary’s)
Maggie Lippiett
Cathy Pope