BANANAS were dished out in the street this week to celebrate the first anniversary of Southampton becoming a Fairtrade city.

Hundreds of visitors popped into the charity shop in Shirley High Street for a free cup of fairly-traded tea or coffee and city mayor Dennis Harryman cut the first Fairtrade birthday cake.

Campaigners say the event, held during national Fairtrade fortnight, marked yet another shift towards responsible purchasing and a better deal for Third World traders.

It was exactly a year ago that Southampton was first awarded Fairtrade status.