WE have the skills of the world in here!" says Jenny Medhurst, in the middle of a temporary shop in Middlesbrough. In the quick guided tour, we see sterling silver jewellery from Indonesia, Alpaca bed socks from Peru, handmade paper from Malawi and Nepal, cards from Bangladesh and the Philippines, jams from Swaziland, knitted toys from Kenya...

Jenny is a fair trader. For most of the year, she sells fairly traded goods from home, at fairs or in church halls, and at other people's houses. But for two months before Christmas she takes over an empty shop - paying rent and rates because it is a business, not a charity.

"It's wonderful to have so much space. The rest of the year, I'm often restricted to one stall or a coffee table, which is really difficult. Here I can really show things off."

... little suitcases of dolls' clothes... sculptures made from spark plugs... wonderfully intricate wooden boxes in the shape of a cat... jolly jigsaws... bowls, baskets, embroidered bags...

The sign above the shop in Dundas Arcade says Traidcraft.

"But we have a lot of items from traders who are too small to supply Traidcraft. So it's good to be able to give them a chance as well," says Jenny.

She first became involved in fair trading after she spent time abroad as a VSO volunteer.

"Giving people a fair price for their work is such a brilliant way of fighting poverty. I could see how much impact it has on communities, what a real difference it makes. To be able to do that is a real privilege."

As we have become more aware of fair trade, supermarkets have started stocking an increasing number of food lines - notably chocolate, teas, coffee and biscuits. All of which are in the Middlesbrough shop, including kumquat marmalade, lime pickle and the famous fair trade ginger biscuits.

"It's good that the supermarkets now sell so many of the food lines, but there is still no major outlet for all the craft work. By giving a proper price for this work, we're not just helping families and communities, we're also helping preserve skills that go back generations." She picks up an embroidered star shaped Christmas tree decoration, made in India. "The work that has gone into just this one small item is amazing," says Jenny.

Her home is also her warehouse and is permanently overflowing with fair trade stock.

"Though it's not entirely true that I married my husband Franklin just because he had a double garage..."

Franklin, she adds quickly "is a real star". And a huge help and support in her work.

For 21 years, Jenny has run a Christmas shop in Middlesbrough, taking the best available empty premises and bridging the gap between the permanent fair trade shops in Durham and York.

"The first one was in Psyche's original building, with concrete floors and breeze block walls. We were in this shop last year and it's brilliant because it's so big, we can get lots of stuff on display and have lots of customers in. There's plenty of room for buggies and even mobility scooters," says Jenny.

Turning an empty shell into an attractive shop is some task - as is staffing it for two months.

"We have more than 30 volunteers who work wonders. Getting the shop ready is really hard work, as is dismantling it all. Many of the volunteers come back year after year, which is wonderful. It makes such a difference."

Boxes with secret locks... wonderful chocolate... push along wooden dinosaurs that snap... rabbits that lollop... gift sets of jams and spices... bracelets, bangles, belts and bedcovers...

Outside, some prospective customers are gazing at the window display, admiring some of the toys which they go in to buy. They haven't noticed the name, possibly don't realise it's a fair trade shop.

But by doing their shopping there, they are just about to help change the world.

l Traidcraft in Dundas Arcade, Middlesbrough, is open until Wednesday, December 21.

www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/features/