This Fairtrade Fortnight, the Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership is taking Fairtrade out into the streets of Newcastle with a new Fairtrade Trail celebrating the businesses, organisations and young people helping to make our city a fairer place.

The idea is simple: encourage people to explore Newcastle, discover businesses and venues supporting fair trade, and learn more about the difference choosing Fairtrade can make to farmers, workers and their communities around the world.

Newcastle has a proud history of supporting Fairtrade, and the Trail gives us a new way of bringing that commitment to life during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Participating venues across Newcastle will display special pieces of Fairtrade artwork created by local schoolchildren. People taking part in the Trail will be encouraged to visit the venues, find the artwork and discover some of the businesses and organisations in our city that champion fair trade and stock Fairtrade products.

It brings together three important parts of the campaign: the enthusiasm and creativity of young people, the commitment of local businesses and organisations, and the choices we can all make as consumers.

For Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership, that connection is particularly important. Fairtrade can sometimes feel like a global issue happening thousands of miles away, but our everyday choices here in Newcastle can have an impact on the lives and livelihoods of people elsewhere in the world.

The Trail is a way of making that connection visible.

We also want the Trail to celebrate Newcastle businesses and organisations that are already making ethical choices.

Independent shops, cafés, community venues and other organisations are an important part of the character of our city. By highlighting venues that support Fairtrade, we hope the Trail will encourage more people to discover them, support them and think about where the products they buy come from.

Taking part as a venue is completely free and deliberately simple.

Businesses and organisations joining the Trail simply need to display a piece of Fairtrade artwork created by a local schoolchild and welcome people following the Trail during Fairtrade Fortnight.

We hope the result will be a Trail stretching across Newcastle and showing just how many people in our city want trade to work better for everyone.

Collaboration and co-operation has always been at the heart of the Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership.

The Fairtrade Trail continues that by bringing together the Newcastle Fairtrade Partnership, Food Newcastle and Shared Interest, alongside schools, businesses, community organisations and residents.

Each brings something different to the project, but we share a belief that the choices made in our city can contribute towards a fairer and more sustainable food and trading system.

Fairtrade Fortnight gives us an opportunity not only to talk about those issues, but to get people involved.

So, between 21 September and 4 October, we hope people will get out, follow the Trail, discover somewhere new and support the Newcastle venues helping to make trade fairer.

And while you are there, look out for the fantastic Fairtrade artwork created by Newcastle's schoolchildren.

Businesses and organisations interested in becoming a Fairtrade Trail venue can contact us at fairtrade@newcastle.gov.uk or through our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/newcastlefairtrade