The staff and students of Ellesmere Port Catholic High were thrilled to be given the chance to be the first Catholic school in the country to be able to place an order for the Real Easter Eggs.

Headteacher Peter Lee said: “We heard of the project some time ago through a colleague, Phil Haley, who is a friend of David Marshall, one of the people behind this exciting work to reclaim at least a part of the Easter message.

“Our school has a real interest in Fairtrade issues. We’ve run Fairtrade stalls and a Fairtrade demonstration evening on matters chocolate. This went down exceptionally well.”

The youngsters were able to sample the chocolate which will go into the eggs and said it was ‘brilliant, better than Cadbury’s’. Praise indeed from the discerning chocoholics of Ellesmere Port Catholic High School.

More than 80 million Easter eggs are sold in the UK each year and with seven million regular churchgoers plus another seven million people who are keen to support the principles behind the Fairtrade movement, there would seem to be a substantial market for the Real Easter Eggs.

The eggs are being sold by selected retailers and the egg boxes remind people of the Christian message of Easter, while at the same time promoting the Fairtrade approach.

The chocolate the eggs contain comes from Fairtrade sources and the students thought it was at least as tasty and smooth as their usual favourites. The recommended retail price will be £3.99 which compares well with similar sized eggs from well-known manufacturers.

Buying these eggs will support farmers in the developing world and the manufacturers will donate 30p from each sale to the Traidcraft Exchange.

The farmers earn a premium to invest in community development projects such as livestock purchases and the provision of clean water.

Jane Riley, from Traidcraft, said: “We are delighted to be involved with the Real Easter Egg. It is such an exciting venture and the benefits to people in the developing world will literally transform lives.”

Also, 10% of profits will go to Baby Lifeline. Judy Ledger, from that charity, said: “The money the egg donates will go to support the care of thousands of pregnant women and new-born babies in the UK, helping to supply maternity and special care baby units with vital equipment ranging from hand held foetal dopplers to incubators and scanners and other monitoring equipment.”