UMBUG is the University of Manchesters’ Bike User Group, if you are a staff member or postgraduate student who cycles, consider yourself a member of the UMBUG. The group is proud to have over 1,000 members and over the years has formed a real community of cycling enthusiasts who meet on a monthly basis to catch up and have a free breakfast.

The group also runs a buddy scheme where you can contact UMBUG for advise, support and guided cycling along safe routes to the Oxford Road Corridor. UMBUG offers many other benefits that can all be found on the UMBUG website.

Wednesday 2 March saw the second UMBUG event of the year at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Business School Café. The morning was damp but that didn’t put off the cyclists who cycled in for a hot breakfast and a relaxed catch up with friends. Researches from Nutritional Sciences at MMU were promoting Fairtrade Fortnight by providing delicious and homemade breakfast ideas such as the Super Peanut Bar. The bar was specifically designed to contain the correct nutrition and calories to fuel staff and students for the day.

Fairtrade fortnight is designed to encourage the public to buy more Fairtrade produce such as chocolate, wine and clothes. Fairtrade is all about better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers. When you buy products that are Fairtrade products, you can be sure that the ingredients have been produced by small-scale farmer organizations that meet better social, economic and environmental standards.

For more information on Fairtrade and how you can contribute to positive change please visit the Fairtrade website. If you’re interested in joining UMBUG and attending future events visit the UMBUG website and Twitter page.