Lunch - Speaker Sally Reith

INVESTING IN FAIR TRADE

This week is “Good money week,“ Henley Rotarians were told by Sally Reith, the engagement manager for Shared Interest, an organisation which aims to finance fair trade businesses throughout the world by offering an ethical investment vehicle for people who wished to see their money put to good use.

She was speaking at the club’s twilight meeting on Tuesday evening at the Red Lion Hotel, and, although she herself had travelled from Leighton Buzzard, she had brought along one of the organisation’s 80 voluntary ambassadors, Richard Walker, a former teacher who lives in Sonning Common.

The organisation’s headquarters is in Newcastle-on-Tyne and they now have offices in Costa Rica, Peru, Ghana and Kenya, where the organisation’s staff and volunteers are always looking for worthwhile projects for investment, particularly concentrating on the dictum, “a hand up, not a hand-out.”

Founded in 1990 as an Industrial Provident Society, it was registered last year under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act and makes loans or extends credit facilities to businesses, including sole traders, who are members of approved fair trade organisations. Total funds invested at present amount to £31 million.

There are now 9,000 members in the U.K. and the minimum investment is £100 and the maximum £100,000. The current rate of return is 0.5 per cent, but this can be amended at any time. The organisation stresses that the return is not intended to be all financial, as investors are also motivated by the social return of knowing that the money has been put to good use.

Vivienne Quant gave the vote of thanks. Earlier, president John Grout and honorary member Ken Fitt had appealed for more support for tonight’s charity gala concert at Christ Church.