THE campaign to gain Fairtrade status in Okehampton has moved a step closer, with organisers receiving support from the town.

Okehampton Town Council has agreed in principal to support the bid for Fairtrade status and has invited members to its council meeting next month to supply more information about the steps that need to be taken in the campaign.

Support has also come from Okehampton Primary School, which has embraced the initiative by registering as a Fairtrade school. Members of the school's Eco-Watch group will be making Fairtrade the theme of their carnival entry in the afternoon procession at Okehampton Carnival.

Eco-warrior for Okehampton Primary Fran Rickwood said: 'We've a small group of children and hopefully some members from the Okehampton for Fairtrade Town Campaign, who will have their faces painted with the Fairtrade logo. There will be an inflatable banana and one of the children wants to dress up as a Fairtrade tea-bag.'

Mrs Rickwood said the school was pleased to support the campaign.

She said: 'We have just registered to start as a Fairtrade school and that process takes around one year. It will mean using Fairtrade produce in our staff room and hopefully elsewhere too. At the moment it's about raising the awareness within the school.'

This week the school welcomed a speaker from Traid Craft, who told the children stories of people in Third World countries.

Mrs Rickwood said the children learned a lot about how much money was actually earned by farmers in Third World countries: 'We worked out how much the farmers would actually be getting paid by working out the percentage of the pound.

'The children worked out very quickly that farmers get very little and they were very surprised. Once they become a Fairtrade farming organisation then that proportion is more fair and they are better off.'

Campaigners welcome any new supporters to the next meeting of the Okehampton for Fairtrade Town Campaign to be held on Monday at 7.30pm at the Gratton Hall, Fairplace Church.

Okehampton Carnival is on Saturday, October 17.