Bruce Crowther was originally a vet by profession, and is an experienced activist who began campaigning for Oxfam in 1984. He formed the Garstang Oxfam Group in 1992 and was Chair until 2002. The Oxfam Group was instrumental in making Garstang, UK the worlds’ first Fair Trade Town in April 2000 (officially recognised in November 2001 by the Fairtrade Foundation). Garstang also developed a community link with the Fairtrade cocoa farming community of New Koforidua in the Ashanti region of Ghana, where Bruce has been made a sub chief for the village.

Bruce worked on Fairtrade Towns with the Fairtrade Foundation from 2003 to 2012, including inspiring and supporting the development of Fair Trade Towns internationally. Bruce helped to set up the Fair Trade Way six day walk connecting Fairtrade Towns between Garstang and Keswick in the North West of England. Bruce set up the FIG Tree International Fair Trade Visitor Centre as a social enterprise in Garstang in 2011, which converted to a member owned cooperative in 2017.

In 2007 Bruce was included in the former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s book ‘Everyday Heroes’, celebrating the extraordinary achievements of ordinary people. In 2009 Bruce was awarded the MBE for services to Fairtrade and Oxfam, and in 2021 he self-published his book entitled ’Not in My Lifetime – A Fair trade Campaigner’s Journal’ telling the story of Fair Trade Towns through his own life story. Bruce now serves as Executive Director for the FIG Tree supporting the international Fair Trade Towns movement, running Fair Trade workshops and making and selling FIG Tree bean to bar chocolate.