Hello there my lovely fairtrade friends,

As you all already know, I'm going to be eating nothing but Fairtrade food during Fairtrade Fortnight. The challenges begins on Monday next week, and so as I said in my last blog, this year I want you to do something for Fairtrade Fortnight too!

So.... (drum roll please...)... I've come up with 3 Fairtrade challenges - if you aint seen it already, these are demonstrated in the video of my lovely Fairtrade Angels!

Take a look below for each challenge - the goodies are very kindly donated by Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Co-Op, Ben & Jerry's, Ethical Superstore, Doves Farm, Cafeology, Liberation Nuts and Ubuntu Cola.

Do one challenge, or do them all, it's totally up to you!


CREATE IT Challenge
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Here's a nice easy challenge to get you started. I want you to come up with an idea for a Fairtrade recipe then send it to me, and I'll pick a winner (who'll receive a box of Fairtrade goodies) and whose recipe I'll cook live on MySpace in the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight!
Any meal of the day will do – it's completely up to you whether you come up with a recipe for a beautiful breakfast, a lovely lunch, or a delightful dinner.

The rules are:
1.Your recipe has to be 100% Fairtrade – that means all the ingredients must have the Fairtrade logo on
2.Once you've come up with great recipe, send me a list of the ingredients and instructions for how to cook it as a comment on my profile, making sure you put "create it challenge" in the comment.
3.Send me your ideas by 3 March 2008 so I can pick a winner and cook the recipe in the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight.

Tip – If you need some inspiration, go to www.fairtrade.org.uk and click on the 'products' link on the left of the page. From there you can find a list of every Fairtrade food item under the sun!


LIVE IT Challenge
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My second challenge is for you to do some of your own Fairtrade cooking, and I really want you to go wild with this one! You could cook just one fantastic meal, eat only Fairtrade food for a whole day/week, have a Fairtrade party, or even persuade everyone at work 'go Fairtrade' for the day.
Send me a comment on my profile (making sure you title or comment on any photos/videos with "live it challenge") so that I can pick a winner to receive a box of Fairtrade goodies.

The rules are:
1.Any meal you cook must be at least 50% Fairtrade ingredients (have the Fairtrade logo on) – this is a bit less strict than the last challenge to make it easier to take part.
2.Extra Brownie points will be awarded for originality and creativity!
3.To be in with a chance of winning a box of Fairtrade goodies, add your photos/videos of what you get as a comment on my profile (making sure you title or comment any photos/videos with "live it challenge") by 7 March 2008.


STOCK IT Challenge
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And for the final challenge it's all about people power, as I want you to join me in telling shops to "stock more Fairtrade"!
There's a lot of Fairtrade stuff available but the problem is that shops aren't selling everything they could do. To try and change this, we've put together a 'stock it' card, which you can hand into shops to tell them to get their act together.

The rules are:
1.Go to Oxfam's website and download our stock it action cards
2.Print off a big bunch of the cards and write on the products you'd like to see more of
3.Go crazy handing in the cards to as many shops as possible by 7 March 2008 – remembering to take a photo/video in the process, which you can then post as a comment on my profile with the title "stock it challenge".
4.The person/group who hands in the most stock it cards to shops wins the Fairtrade goodies!


The small print
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Deadlines for entries are: Create It Challenge – 3 March 2008; Live It Challenge - 7 March 2008; Stock It Challenge – 7 March 2008. Winners will be chosen on: Create It Challenge – 4 March 2008; Live It Challenge – 11 March 2008; Stock It Challenge – 11 March 2008. The competition is not open to Oxfam staff. Winners will be notified via their an email to their MySpace/Facebook profile. Prizes are awarded at the discretion of Fairtrade Woman and the decision is final. By submitting photographs or videos you are confirming that everyone you feature is happy to appear in your work.