Christmas may only be a few weeks away but the Bishop of Swansea & Brecon is urging church schools and Parishes to think about Easter already.
The Right Reverend John Davies, Bishop of Swansea & Brecon, has welcomed the launch of The Real Easter Egg – the UK’s first and only Easter egg to mention Jesus on the box – and he is urging church schools and Parishes to put in an order as soon as possible, even before Christmas.
There are more than 80 million chocolate Easter eggs sold each year in the UK and not one of them mentions the Christian understanding of Easter on the box.
The Real Easter Egg, a Fairtrade product, mentions Jesus on the pack and the price includes a donation to charitable projects – buying everything from medical equipment for mums in the UK to chickens for farmers in Africa.
With millions of churchgoers throughout the UK and millions more supporting Fairtrade products, demand is expected to be high – but not all UK supermarkets are planning to stock the product. The stores who have signed up to sell it will be revealed in January.
For schools that do order there will be educational resources available in January with The Real Easter Eggs being delivered early in 2011. It is hoped that staff will use the arrival of the eggs to teach about citizenship, the meaning of Easter, the role of Fairtrade and the place of charitable giving.
Bishop John said: “The Real Easter Egg gives people their first ever chance to buy an Easter egg that not only tastes good but does good.
“I believe there will be widespread support for the product from the faith community with many others likely to be interested.
“We hope that supermarkets will stock the first and only Easter egg in the UK that explains the significance of Easter and, through the charitable donation, brings to light the Easter themes of hope and new life.”
The recommended retail price of the egg is £4.50. Thirty pence from each egg will be donated to Traidcraft Exchange and a further 10 per cent from profits will go to Baby Lifeline.
For more information, please contact Fr Tim Williams on 01792 204233
