A MUSICAL finale ensured York Festival of Fairtrade reached a crescendo at the weekend.

The festival has been running over the last fortnight, and has seen visitors from Costa Rica, Ghana and the Caribbean coming to the city to give people an opportunity to hear about the success of Fairtrade.

The festival culminated over the weekend in the Fairtrade Market in Parliament Street, with vendors selling goods including handicrafts, clothing and bags, as well as food and drink.

The musical performers included a samba band, while there were also performances by Saxofun and the Monkeywrenchers, among others.

Richard Lane, one of the organisers of the festival, said he wanted to thank all the companies and residents who had supported the event. He said: “It’s gone brilliantly. Every year there are just more events and more going on. York is one of the best cities in the UK in terms of the number of people who recognise the Fairtrade brand and every year we get more support.”

The two weeks saw various events held across the city.

Hugo Villela, a field worker for Fairtrade in Central America, appeared at the City Screen’s Basement Bar, where he spoke of his work helping poor farmers get their goods sold under the Fairtrade brand. He was followed by local musician Toby Wardman, who gave a performance of Latin American guitar music.

There was also a report on the “banana wars” by Nioka Abbott, who was involved in the campaign against the big banana companies in South America, who were accused of trying to squeeze smaller suppliers out of the international market.