| Our May newsletter |
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Hi and welcome to the BCP newsletter for May. This month you’ll be able to carry our produce home from market in our very own, specially designed holdall. With growing environmental concerns about how landfills are choking with carrier bags that take hundreds of years to biodegrade, we thought we’d do our bit by providing our customers with a “bag for life” made out of jute. Also known as the “Millenium Fibre”, jute is eco-friendly, biodegradable, durable and 100% natural. Keen to follow our motto of “fresh, local, traceable”, we approached East Sussex-based designer, Jo Abbas. Jo describes her company “Jo Beeny Ltd” as “a brand new brand for a brand new century…born from a desire for unique and beautiful products that unite craftsmanship, global awareness and a celebration of life”. Sourced form sustainable, organic materials, Jobeeny bags are made in India by a fair-trade organisation, which Jo has visited in person. The company doesn’t employ child labour and its workforce are well looked after.
ITF’s founder, Hampshire born Richard St Barbe Baker, who died twenty-five years ago this June, was well-known internationally as an advocate of great forestry projects aimed at restoring desert lands and was a lifelong campaigner devoted to redressing the economic and environmental effects of deforestation. You can find out more about this extraordinary man by reading his book “My Life, My Trees” or by using this link to visit the International Tree Foundation web site. We hope you’ll join us in supporting this worthwhile cause AND the environment by buying the Bookham Cheese and Pasta jutebag. The extra-long, padded handles means it fits comfortably over your shoulder and Mrs.B will tell you quite confidently that it doubles up perfectly as a beach and picnic bag. Moreover, with its subtle but classy design, you won’t feel like a walking billboard! It goes on sale at Farmers’ Markets from May, priced at £4, with a pound going to the ITF. Reason enough in itself to buy one. Take care and enjoy the lovely weather. Rob & Claire Bookham |
In addition to being fairtrade and fully traceable, our jutebag also supports The International Tree Foundation, a cause with whom we are very proud to be associated. Britain’s oldest tree charity and patronized by Prince Charles, the ITF has also been involved in overseas work for eighty years or more. Recent projects of this unheralded organization include mangrove restoration following the devastation of the tsunami in 2004.