WORCESTER is just one outlet away from being a fully-fledged Fairtrade city, it has been revealed.

The initiative helps to ensure that farmers in developing countries get a good price for their produce, but in order to fulfil the criteria of Fairtrade status, Worcester must have 19 outlets, nine cafes, and local council backing. At the moment it is agonisingly close to its target with 18 outlets, and Worcester Trade Justice Network co-ordinator Anthony Wood is urging shops to vie for the honour of becoming the 19th.

He said: "It would mean a lot to become a Fairtrade city and I'm sure it wouldn't do any harm to the outlet responsible for obtaining that status.

"A lot of people now know about Fairtrade, and the shops and cafes selling the goods are benefiting from it.

"We have been campaigning for three years now for this, but we would see full status as the beginning of getting things going.

"It would be a launching pad to spread the word throughout the city", he said.

To qualify as a Fairtrade outlet, a shop has to sell two Fairtrade goods. Products include coffee, chocolate, cotton, sugar, tea, sweets, fruit and wine and beer.

Worcester Sixth Form College has achieved the prestigious status. Margaret Haywood helped students set up a weekly store selling Fairtrade items.

She said: "It would be wonderful if Worcester could get status. We have found from our own experiences here that people are becoming much more aware and sympathetic to the issue."

For more information on Fairtrade in Worcester, or if you are a business wishing to sell goods, log onto www. worcesterfairtrade.co.uk