November is nearly done, and the Christmas markets are upon us!
This Saturday was Exeter's second annual Christmas without cruelty festival. The even is organised by Animal Aid, and this year it contained 40 stalls from national and local charities and companies, with a mix of shopping and food eating opportunities.
I'm not going to show you everything I picked up, as some of them are Christmas presents, but I treated myself to a few things too. I mean, I needed to have something to show you all...
*Warning: horrifically chipped nails*
The first thing that I picked up was a Heavenly Organics Lemon and Lime lip balm. It's amazing. The only ingredients are Cocoa butter, Shea Butter, and essential oils It's Vegan, natural and totally cruelty free. It's really really moisturising, like really moisturising. Better than anything Vaseline related, and a very strong rival for Lush's ultra balm. To make it even better, it was only £2 (I think it might be £3 normally- but still, what a bargain!) and the lady at the stall was super lovely too.
I also brought myself a pair of Bamboo Socks from Braintree (although they were being sold at the Hempish.com Stall, and you can get them from their website too, along with body care and food stuff) They were a little more than your average pair of socks (£4 something normally), but you're paying for quality. They're fairtrade, and really soft and comfy, and apparently have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties too. Socks may be a cliché bad Christmas present, and I may be on my own here, but I really like it when I get given them! It's nice to get something useful - especially if its a nice pair that you maybe wouldn't normally justify spending so much money on for yourself.
The Monkey Sanctuary, which rescues monkey from the pet trade, had some lovely monkey related gifts. But I also found myself a really nice small fair trade ring. Anyone that knows me, knows my love for silver rings. I have 3 that I never take off, and a few others that make appearances now and again. Most of them have sentimental meanings, but some are just nice and pretty. This one isn't a complete circle, so it could be adapted to fit all. It was only £3.99 so it may make my finger horribly green, but I've worn it for the last few days, and washed my hands with it on, and so far so good!
I also visited some of the other charity stall to sign petitions, talk to them about their work and give them some small donations. The League Against Cruel Sports gave me this really cute 2D paper net to make a little fox model, which now has pride of place on my bookshelf. They're a really great charity please check them out! If you haven't got any money to donate, there's lots of petitioning and raising awareness that you can take part in.
It was so nice to be in the company of like minded people and know that all my purchases were going towards a good cause. It would describe it as a bit like going into Lush, but on a much bigger scale. Animal Aid puts on similar events in other areas of the UK, and lots of these haven't happened yet, so I'd recommend doing a quick bit of research to see if there's one near you that you can pop along to*.
The Exeter Christmas Market is also now up and running everyday, so you can expect some festive photos of wooden huts soon! :)
*If not, I've included a list of all the other stalls which you can use to find some cool ethical companies/charities:
Dorset for Badger and Bovine Welfare, RSPCA, Fleecehaven, Evolve, Ethical Investors, Crafts for Animals, Exeter Palastine Solidarity Group, Mim's Emporium, Vegan Organic Network, Julia Finzel Fine Art and Photography, Fairfoods, Global Indigo, Animal Aid, Exeter Friends for Animals,Wild Futures, Devon Badger Group, Animals Asia Foundation, Bake, Eat, Love Cupcakes, Ama Menec Sculpture, Chiray, Medieval Manuscripts Workshop, People 4 Ponies, Hipo Hyfryd Truffles, Teen VGN, Exeter Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Nowzad Dogs, Wills Shoes, Devon Hunt Saboteurs, The Greyhound Sanctuary, Lush, Pitfield Brewery, DR Hadwen Trust, Compassion in World Farming, Holistix Herbal Products, Viva!, Andy Pollock Woodturner, and Devon Wildlife Trust.
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