This Christmas the serious ethical issues surrounding the Christmas tree industry are being brought to the attention of the public in the UK. The UK campaign is being lead by Fairwind, a leading fair trade retailer and importer and there are BBC documentaries and news items being aired on TV and radio in early December 2010. MAAssist is proud to be the first UK business, outside of the fair trade community, to financially support this campaign.

Fair Trees® – fair trade real Nordmann Fir Christmas trees

About 5 million Nordmann Fir Christmas trees are sold in the UK each year. But until now, very few people in the UK have been aware of the serious ethical issues behind buying these trees at Christmas. Although they are farmed in the UK and Denmark the seeds for Nordmann Firs are sourced from natural forests, mainly in Georgia.

Harvesting of the seeds in Georgia is carried out by hand under remarkably primitive conditions. The Georgian cone pickers climb up 30 metre high fir trees in order to reach the seeds. Until now, they have worked entirely without safety equipment and in 2004 two workers fell to their death during the harvest. Several accidents happen each year, but despite working in such dangerous conditions the cone pickers are usually paid such low wages that it is difficult for them to support their families.

A Danish Christmas tree grower called Bols Forstplanteskole is changing all of that. Bols source their own seeds from Georgia using fair trade principles, and in 2007 was awarded fair trade accreditation by Fair Trade Danmark – Bols is the only Christmas tree grower in the world with fair trade accreditation. In 2011 Bols will have full accreditation by the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). Not only does Bols pay a fair wage and provide health insurance to the cone pickers but proceeds from the sale of Fair Seeds and Fair Trees® are donated to the Bols Xmas Tree Fund, a charitable fund based in Georgia.

The Bols Xmas Tree Fund aims to create awareness about and improve the terrible conditions under which the Georgian cone pickers live and work. The Fund provides the cone pickers with Danish-made safety equipment and ensures that the workers are instructed on safety. In addition, the Fund works towards creating proper conditions for workers and their families through financial support for hospitals, schools, books and health care.

MAAssist fundraising

MAAssist will set aside £1 for every claim with value received from 1^st January 2011 for the Fair Trees® project.

MAAssist will also welcome support from any insurance clients who are willing to make a donation to the Fund. In return for such a donation, the insurance client will be able to use the Fair Trees® name in any corporate social responsibility and marketing promotional material.

MAAssist staff will also be carrying out various fund raising activities in 2011.

A team of tradesmen will go to Georgia in August/September 2011 to renovate the local school in the cone picking region of Ambrolauri.

Contacts – further information

If you would like to be involved in the Fair Trees® fundraising activities for 2011, or would like more information, please contact:

Teresa Owen, Fairwind

Email: t.owen@fairwindonline.com

Tel: 0845 196 0256

 or

 Paul Hayman, MAAssist

Email: Paul.Hayman@maassist.com

Tel: 01296 678100

Fairwind

This innovative company is owned and run by Teresa Owen. Fairwind is a thriving online business that is passionate about fair trade and providing affordable, quality fair trade gifts and accessories from around the world.

In 2007, Fairwind was shortlisted for an Observer Ethical Award and is a member of the British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) – visit www.bafts.org.uk for more information.

Fairwind sells gifts, home accessories and textiles, jewellery, children’s toys, candles and garden accessories. To see Fairwind’s full range, or for further information, visit www.fairwindonline.com or phone 0845 196 0256.

High-resolution images of all products are available and in most cases also cut-out images – they can be downloaded from http://www.fairwindonline.com/resources.asp.

MAAssist

MAAssist Limited specialises in domestic building repairs on behalf of some of the UK’s largest insurers and property related markets, using its in-house construction company MABuild Limited, supported by a nationwide network of trade professional companies, creating an established Building Repair Network (BRN) and Control Centre function for its clients.

With its niche range of products and services MAAssist has consistently helped insurers and property portfolio managers to materially reduce their claims management, claims settlement and budgeted spend and expenditure, through correct building claims validation and delivery of quality building works.

And MAAssist’s ability to settle and fulfill buildings claims, and offer customers and clients a real choice in their preferred method of claims settlement, enables them to consistently deliver a positive claims experience. For more information please go to www.magroupltd.co.uk

Bols Forstplanteskole

Established in 1989 by Marianne and Lars H. Bols, Bols Forstplanteskole has always been an innovator in the Christmas tree industry. Although both Marianne and Lars were studying at the time, they were excited by the forestry industry and by the challenges of supplying top quality products with the right provenances.

Their first business trip was to Georgia, in 1989, to buy 8 tons of Nordmann Fir seeds. As Georgia was then still part of the USSR, it was a long, tough battle to get the seeds and have them shipped to Denmark. But it was the start of a minor revolution in raising the quality of the Christmas trees coming onto the market. Marianne and Lars were moved by the generosity and warmth shown to them by the Georgian farmers: “Even though they were poor, they invited us in and many of them remain close friends. They were also one of the main reasons why we continue to collect seeds from Georgia.” Another reason for continuing to do business in Georgia, despite the many obstacles, is that the Nordmann Fir seeds obtainable there are simply the best in the world.

Apart from providing a full-spectrum catalogue of plant and trees to a broad multinational market, Bols’ more recent initiatives include organic and fair trade products: www.fairtrees.co.uk

Fairwind is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Swop2Shop is an exciting new website
providing its members with a platform to swop their clothes and
accessories between each other in a safe and trustworthy environment.

Selected brands from High Street to
Designer are listed and ready to swop.

NO AUCTIONS, NO LISTING FEES, NO CASH,
JUST POINTS

With a Swop2Shop account you can collect
points, through transactions, incentives and generous rewards for
leaving feedback.

Using a points based system to value your
items leaves you in complete control.

FREE TO REGISTER, FREE TO VIEW, FREE TO
LIST, FREE TO SWOP

LIST IT:
Photograph and List your item.

SWOP IT:
A member bags your listing, your points are banked once the item is
marked as posted. No need for cash. Your points build up and allow
you to trade on the Swop2Shop site.

WEAR IT:
Get rid of the clothes you don’t wear and replace them for ones
that you do, all for Free!

Swop2Shop allows a constant re-cycling of
clothes and accessories that enables you to have that enviable EVER
CHANGING WARDROBE .If you don’t have enough points for that little
black dress or designer handbag then buy more online. Treat a friend
to a gift voucher and make their day.

Guilt Free Shopping all the way!

FREE TO REGISTER, FREE TO LIST, FREE TO
VIEW, FREE TO SWOP

With NO Auctions you can buy what you
see, no need to wait. If your looking to buy something different for
that Saturday party but have nothing to list, worry not-just buy your
points on the website .

BAG IT, WEAR IT, LIST IT !

THINK SWOP WITH AN ‘O’ BECAUSE
WE’RE ONLINE !

To be part of Swop2Shop or for further
information please go to www.swop2shop.co.uk

Swop2Shop has issued this release. For
further information please contact

Kathryn Jenkins on 07545493841, email
kathryn@swop2shop.co.uk

About Us

Ever increasing listing fees on existing
online sites along with a credit crunch market resulted in the birth
of Swop2Shop. Buying that new dress for a party was just not within
the budget anymore so we began to swop clothes amongst our group of
friends. Sharing a designer handbag or swopping a dress for a pair of
trousers and a top became the solution, eliminating the need for cash
and guilty feelings. Swop2Shop was launched. Swop2Shop has plans to
launch further sites where points can be traded. All points will be
tradable within all Swop2Shop sites.

Swop2Shop Classics, Trends and now
Swop2Shop Kids

Weather the recession: go to work in the garden   

Not so long ago gardens were exclusively for leisure. For lying
around in, pottering in, eating al fresco, barbecues, bonfires, boules
and swingball. But as 2009 progresses the picture is looking very
different. Once a haven of relaxation, gardens are turning into hives
of activity as people all over the UK go to work in the garden.

As the recession points Britain towards a new way of living, people want much more from their green spaces. These days, in addition to a lawn, shrubs and flowers, many people are serious about growing their own produce and keeping chickens, others are bringing their businesses home to their gardens. Just like our ancestors in pre-industrial revolution agrarian communities, we’re returning to our roots. Not so much a nation of shopkeepers, more a nation of smallholders as we spend more time working at home, from home and in our homes!

An amazing 4.2m businesses in the UK employ less than 10 people and in today’s unpredictable economic climate, many small businesses are strengthening their financial position by taking their business home. It is no longer just the self-employed and home-workers who run their businesses from home. Micro businesses are also saying goodbye to rented offices in town centres and taking their staff home with them to a fully functional home office at the bottom of the garden.

Nigel Peters’ business was paying more than £10,000 a year rent for an office that was half an hour’s commute away from his home in Surrey. Last autumn he decided to move back home and contacted InsideOut Buildings who design and build garden offices and, unsurprisingly, run their business from an office in their garden. “InsideOuts’ offices aren’t cheap, but they’re absolutely ideal.” He said. “We wanted an eco-friendly building that we’d be proud to bring clients to, but also a comfortable working environment that would house the business for years to come and that compliments the main house. Staying at home with the dog and the chickens is much better than commuting and we feel we’re doing our bit for the environment by cutting down on commuting and heating bills.’

Lynn Fotheringham, director of InsideOut is seeing a huge increase in this type of enquiry. “One of the key questions for small business owners who want to take their business home is ‘Can I employ people in an office in my own garden?” Lynn explains “The answer is yes, as long as you have the approval of your local planning department. They will assess your plans, taking into consideration things like the nature of your business and the availability of parking spaces. If your garden office is for your own personal use, you might not need planning permission, full stop.”

Patrick Boggan of Tarnside Consulting is currently building an eco-friendly office in his garden, in the beautiful Lyth Valley just outside Kendal. Tarnside is a fundraising and management consultancy that works with charities: a thriving business that already employs four people working inside Patrick’s family home.  He and his family wanted to regain control of their home, which is where InsideOut stepped in. “Despite the fact that Tarnside Consulting is in the Lake District National Park” says Lynn Fotheringham, “Patrick was still given planning permission to house his business in an InsideOut office in the garden. The company’s new office even has a shower room for employees who cycle to work.”

People who already work at home who are desperate to move to a larger house but unable to sell their current home are finding that a good alternative is to build an office in the garden instead. Sally Heneghan of South Wales, who chose a garden office rather than moving, says, “Creating an office was a great deal cheaper – and faster – than moving to a bigger house. The thing that really sold the idea to us was that Inside Out’s garden offices are built to last a lifetime. They’re also beautiful to look at, designed with sensitivity and a genuine appreciation of their surroundings.”

It is wise to bear in mind that taking your business home doesn’t mean you can leave legislation on the doorstep! If you’re planning to bring employees into your office in the garden, buildings with more than 30sq metres of floor space must meet a variety of stringent regulations regarding structural standards, insulation levels, fireproofing, access and facilities for people with restricted physical mobility. But whatever the size, InsideOut’s garden offices are built to the same strict Building Regulations specifications as a new home.

As our life/work values change we all want our gardens to work harder for us. Thankfully building in your garden isn’t as complex as you might think and the results can be stunning. Bringing your work home can be rewarding financially and emotionally – perhaps our ancestors had it right all along!

For more information and hires please contact: -
Lynn Fotheringham
01524 737999    lynn@iobuild.co.uk  www.iobuild.co.uk  InsideOut Garden office Brochure.
Insideout Buildings Ltd. The Green, Over Kellet, Lancashire LA6 1BU.

Soap Star Gets Quizzing For Christian Aid Week

Eastenders star Kara Tointon is helping put the fun into fundraising by
backing this year’s nationwide Quizaid during Christian Aid Week (10 –
16 May 2009), which aims to raise vital funds for the world’s poorest
communities.

Last year Quizaid raised £185,000 for Christian Aid’s
overseas development work in 49 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin
America. This year the charity is challenging the great British public
to use its grey matter to raise £225,000.

Organizing Quizaid couldn’t be easier with the charity providing packs with all you need including question cards, posters, invites, answer sheets and a certificate for the winning team. All quiz organisers will be entered into a draw for a year’s supply of chocolate courtesy of the fair trade company, Divine Chocolate. There is a similar draw for those that participate in Quizaid.

‘I hope all the pubs, clubs and community halls up and down the country get quizzing for Quizaid,” says Kara. “Having seen some of Christian Aid’s work myself in Zambia, where I saw children who have been orphaned by HIV given homes and care, I know how vital this money is.’

In a bid to get even more people quizzing, four new levels of questions have been introduced – Brainiacs, Average Joe’s, 11-18 year olds or under-10s.  Just choose which category your participants fall into and then pick from subjects such as sport, music, geography, pot luck, history and maths.  The emphasis is on having fun while raising money for a great cause.

Click here for quiz teasers and to request a free Quizaid pack, log on to www.christianaid.org.uk/quizaid or call 0808 000 5005.  Get your friends, family or work colleagues together at home, at school, in the office or in the pub, charge everyone £2, then get quizzing!

ENDS

For further press information contact Emma Wigley ewigley@christian-aid.org or call 020 7523 2452

Support poor farmers to achieve a future free from hunger – cook up a Curry in aid of Find your Feet!

As the financial crisis deepens, the world food crisis is in danger of being forgotten. With nearly 100 million people already going hungry, it is essential that this does not happen.

However ‘quick fix’ solutions to the food crisis that look to increase food production ‘at any cost’ are unlikely to offer those most affected by the food crisis the opportunity to attain lasting freedom from hunger.

For the past 60 years Find Your Feet has been working with small-scale farmers in developing countries.

Our experience has shown us that, for the people we work with, farming is about far more than the production of food. It’s about stewardship of the land. It’s about stimulating the growth of local economy. It’s about farmers feeling that they have a voice in their community and that they have skills to offer in building a better future for that community.

By the end of 2009 Find Your Feet aims to train 21,400 farmers in Malawi and India in farming practices that build on their knowledge and skills, that enable them to feed their families all year round and that conserve the natural resources on which their future food security depends.

We invite you to join us in achieving this goal by holding a Curry evening in support of our work over Christmas or New Year. We will provide you with a great fundraising pack and all the support you need to make your evening as fun and easy as possible.

Volunteer to help at the Homeless World Cup in Australia 

We are offering a 17 day trip from November 29 to December 15 that gets guests involved at the tournament and then explores some of Australia’s scenic highlights – Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef!

Background to the Homeless World Cup
The Homeless World Cup is an annual, international football tournament, uniting teams of homeless, excluded individuals in a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country and change their lives. The event attracts around 25,000 people who take part in training and trials around the world, with the top 500 players from 48 nations competing at the Homeless World Cup.

The impact on participant’s lives is significant, with around three quarters of players changing their lives for the better by coming off drugs and alcohol, getting jobs, an education, homes, training or being reunited with their families. Some even go on to become players and coaches for pro or semi-pro football teams!

Volunteers are needed as:

• Online Match Reporters
• Match Photographers
• Photographer Assistants
• Media Assistants 
• Access Monitors
• Catering Assistants – Competition Venue
• Catering Assistants – Player Village
• Player Storage/Changing Rooms Monitor

The Trip
This meaningful 17 day trip not only gets you making a valuable contribution to the tournament, but you can then experience Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Daintree Rainforest!  

The price per person is £1,590 for 17 days in 3* accommodation throughout, excluding all flights. Click here for more information or to book.

19 September is Tea Time 

Who fancies a lovely cuppa with some clean water, food and shelter thrown in? World poverty seems like such a huge problem to tackle that we don’t know how to start – but here’s a chance to make a difference just by taking half an hour out of your day and enjoying a nice cup of your favourite tea, piece of cake and a good old gossip with your friends! It’s so easy… and a great excuse to put your feet up!

Christian Aid’s TEA TIME is a fundraising event which is so simple to get involved in and absolutely everyone is welcome – wherever on earth you live. You can hold a tea party anywhere you want – at home, at work, in schools, in the park or even in bed! Last year Tea Time parties were held from London to Sri Lanka, Haiti to Columbia – and people dunked everything from coconut biscuits to banana crunch cake into hundreds of different kinds of tea. And out of all the fun came a pot of almost £200,000 for poor communities around the world.

Teatime will be launched on Friday 19th September at 4pm. There are no rules as to how to hold a party.  Christian Aid’s tea time pack is full of tips and recipes to inspire.  Just ask everyone who attends to give a donation to Christian Aid, in return for a cup of tea and a biscuit or two. To find out more and sign up for your free Tea Time pack visit www.christianaid.org.uk/teatime or call 0870 076 7766.