Fayre on the Green

With the church summer fete season in full swing, Dr Julia Edwards, Director of Climate Change, says this humble tradition is leading the way with its green credentials.

The chances are that by now you have attended or organised at least one summer fayre. Now is the time of year when fayres take place up and down the country. Congregations and communities come together to support the local church, raise valuable funds and enjoy a few hours milling around stalls and watching the programmed entertainment. It's one of those events that appeals to people of all ages. Hopefully, the sun shines - or at least the weather holds.

It's a traditional scene that has been repeated over the years and, in some cases, for centuries, with stalls and equipment handed down for re-use across the generations.

Warmly familiar. Yet have you reflected on just how ‘green’ the summer fayre is? For a start, we have local people, often walking, perusing stalls, consuming local food and drink, and donating and buying goods and produce. Then we have:

• The plant and vegetable stall which has cuttings, propagations and produce nurtured on windowsills and in people’s back gardens and allotments.
• The Bric-a-Brac stall has household items looking for a new home.
• The toy-swap stall has much loved and used, and reluctantly let-go, toys and games.
• The book stall has second-hand books and best-sellers waiting for new readership.
• The craft and jewellery stall has hand-made gems waiting to sparkle and delight.
• The tombola stall has ‘forgotten’ prizes from the back of the cupboard.
• And the cake stall has home-bakes and goodies that always sell out, and often first!

Churches have been leading the way for many years on doing local, donating to good causes, sharing surplus, and recycling second-hand items – long before it became fashionable. And with Christmas Fayres and church hall jumble sales to add to the list, we must continue to promote the traditions of the humble Summer Fayre, as its concepts and ethos become even more relevant to all our environmentally aware lives.

Let us rejoice and share in the beauty and wonder of God’s creation and continue to practise ‘Fayre trade’ throughout the year and for many years to come.