HISTORIAN and Fairtrade supporter Mike Cresswell led a group of 20 people around the town to look at Bolton's industrial past, as well as shops selling products that help Third World farmers.

Mr Cresswell, from Bradshaw, escorted the group of placard-waving Fairtrade supporters, who looked for evidence of unfair trade in the the town's past.

The march started from Bolton Town Hall where the Mayor, Cllr Cliff Morris, gave a speech on how proud he was that Bolton was a Fairtrade town. Mr Cresswell's walk showed evidence from the last 200 years of the unfair exploitation of Bolton and foreign workers, particularly in the cotton industry. Mr Cresswell's wife, Chris, said the walk had been a big success.

"We handed out a lot of leaflets to people who were interested in our work," she said.

Cllr Morris will also be welcoming cyclists from some recently-declared Fairtrade cities.

Cyclists will leave Victoria Square in Bolton next Friday at 10am to go to Garstang, the world's first Fairtrade town. The events are part of a nationwide celebration of Fairtrade fortnight, which runs until March 13.

A Fairtrade mark is a guarantee that producers in developing countries get a fair deal.

Marcos M Pereza, a coffee farmer from Guatemala, said: "Prior to Fairtrade we did not have any chance to survive. Now we see light at the end of the tunnel."