Snow stops Coasties

For two weeks now Coasties www.northyorkmoors.org.uk has been cancelled. The roads were mostly clear, but we would be unable to get to where we were going to work. This is particularly frustrating as the new section of the Cleveland Way www.nationaltrail.co.uk/clevelandway still needs a lot of work to be done before it is completed. There is talk of an opening at the end of March, before the Easter weekend; so fingers crossed for warmer and drier weather.

I had planned to go to Leeds for a belated celebration with my friend, but a heavy cold and cough (mine), meant that will be put off for a week. No need for everyone to suffer.

So I have been indoors doing my small society work.

Quite a lot for Fairtrade www.fairtrade.org.uk/, both locally and in York.

Locally we are busy planning for Fairtrade fortnight, February 25th to March 9th. Various local shops will be asked about displays, but our biggest event is another craft fair, on March 9th in Malton at the Friends' Meeting House. It will showcase local crafts; several people will be doing displays of how they make their items, as well as fairly traded crafts. Below you can see some of the small craft items and jewellery that we will be selling.

we packed these .......

In York, Fairer World www.fairerworldyork.co.uk/ is having to close for about three weeks whilst essential work is carried out on the front of the building. This means that everything has to be packed up and moved to temporary warehousing. Food and fine craft items do not mix with dust and dirt from what will be a building site!  It seems like chaos as we make up boxes, pack and label, but gradually a system emerges and there may be light at the end of a dusty tunnel. This evening is their annual social, where all the various volunteers who help staff the shop get to meet the other volunteers who run the out of shop stalls at schools, village halls and local churches. It is one of those socials where you take a main course or dessert and hope that there is some sort of balance when you get there. It should be fun, but more snow is forecast...................... Watch next week's blog for what happens.



..........and these