A CAMPAIGN urging shoppers to buy goods from countries where producers get a fair deal has been given top level backing.

The Bishop of Durham and Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman both supported Fairtrade Fortnight and signed a petition supporting the cause of trade justice.

Ms Goodman visited Co-op stores in Spennymoor and Shildon where Fairtrade goods are available and opened a coffee morning in Bishop Auckland Scout hall where Fairtrade products were on sale.

She said: "The Make Poverty History campaign showed that people throughout County Durham want to help people in developing countries free themselves from poverty, but this won't be achieved just through aid donations.

"The best gift to poor countries would be fair trade so they can earn a proper living from the goods they produce."

Jayne Bainbridge, from Crook, who sells Fairtrade goods with her friend from the Gateway Baptist Church, Amy Fancourt, said: "We do this in our spare time because we believe in it so much.

"It is one way people can make a difference every time they buy something."