Thank You and Merry Christmas!
Well, here we are at Christmas Eve. We have had a fantastic few weeks getting the shop up and running in Hay on Wye and of course on our website. We want to thank everyone who has taken the time to pop in and say hello, look us up online, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook. The support we've had has been truly encouraging and even though it is still very early days we are looking forward to 2013 with excitement. We have now confirmed with the great people at Hay Castle that we'll be here for the next few months. We hope to have lots more stock, different ranges and suppliers, and more stories to tell you about the people behind our products.Why Poverty?
As we approach Christmas it's easy to get carried away with the festive spirit, whether it's a mad dash for presents, over-indulgence at the dinner table or simply becoming engrossed in endless repeats of the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing.
No-one likes a kill-joy, and here at Eighteen Rabbit we're all for having a good time - we think that as consumers we have a choice about what we buy, and that the decisions we make when shopping on the high street or online can make a real difference to people's lives overseas. That's what fair trade is all about.
At this time of giving and receiving I think it's important to spare a small thought for those with much less to celebrate than ourselves, whether they are here in the UK or overseas. I'd thoroughly recommend trying to catch up with some of the "Why Poverty?" season which has been broadcast in the UK on BBC4 and also around the world over the past few weeks. The films are varied and all tell an incredible story about the way we live today and the inequality we face in the world.
We hope that everyone can enjoy this season of peace in the spirit of brotherly love which the very first Christmas embodied. Most of the people we work with around the world aren't looking for handouts or charity - just fairness. That's something we're going to be working flat out to make a reality, slowly but surely, in 2013.