The Bishop of Edmonton opened a fairtrade day last week to encourage churches across London to lead the way on buying ethical goods.

The Right Revd Peter Wheatley attended a Mad Hatter’s tea party at St Mary’s Church Finchley on Saturday, July 11 and was entertained by children who dressed as characters from the Alice in Wonderland book.

Adult members of the church served tea in traditional Victorian dress.

Free fairtrade tea and coffee were on the menu for visitors, while members of the church drama group performed scenes from Alice in Wonderland.

The day marked attempts by the Diocese of London to increase take up of fairtrade products by all churches in its jurisdiction.

To attain fairtrade status the church must sell only fairtrade tea and coffee in its meetings and ensure fairtrade tea and coffee are sold by at least 66 per cent of parish churches.

A fairtrade steering group also has to be set up to oversee the work being done.

Over 40 churches across London also had events, called The Big Brew, on Saturday, ranging from coffee mornings, bell ringing, summer fetes and family fun days, all with only Fairtrade refreshments available.

The Right Revd Wheatley said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for churches to engage with their local communities and communicate the benefits of fairtrade.

“We are getting ever closer to reaching our target of becoming a fairtrade Diocese and events like today’s tea party prove just how committed our churches are to making this happen.”