A GIFT shop selling fairly traded products ‘supporting people and the environment’ in Wimborne is our trader of the week.

Fairground, located in Wimborne’s Cornmarket, is a fair trade, not-for-profit shop run completely by volunteers.

The shop, which has been in Wimborne for over 30 years, sells gifts, food, cards, accessories and jewellery supporting its global trade partners.

Sarah Wise is one of three directors at Fairground. She has worked at the shop for over four years after the previous directors retired.

She said: “Everything we sell is fairly traded, which means that the workers, the growers, the farmers, the producers have all been paid a guaranteed minimum price.

The shop is not for profit, so any leftover funds are donated to various charities; however, in recent years, the shop hasn’t been able to do this as they have prioritised paying its suppliers fairly.

Sarah said: “A few years ago we gave a donation to Child Rescue Nepal, who help to support young people who have been put to work on the streets and pay for them to go to school and learns skills so they can have a trade.”

Fairground has also donated money to Transform Trade, a movement supporting fair trade globally.

“We have also sponsored Palestinian farmers to grow and plant olive trees,” Sarah added.

Sarah and one of her co-directors, Charley Smith, set up the organisation Wimborne War on Waste, a group which seeks to raise awareness about the environmental impact of single-use plastic.

The previous owners asked if they could take over Fairground because they shared similar beliefs on topics such as sustainability.

Sarah said: “We’re all about promoting ethical and sustainable consumerism, although we are completely fairtrade, we very much support upcycled, recycled, plastic free products where we can.”

The shop has become a ‘hub’ for Wimborne’s environmentally conscious community. It hosts workshops and operates a recycling scheme where people can drop off old mobile phones and plastic containers.

Sarah added: “If people want to buy gifts for their friends or they want to buy a birthday card or a pair of earrings, then why not use your purchasing power to actually make it better for somebody else?”