The first Fairtrade Town Initiative meeting was held on 26th March 2002 at Reading Borough Council. This formed the first core group with responsibility for the yearly check that establishes Reading still adheres to the criteria.

The group includes:

Leader of the Council, Dave Sutton
Sustainability Policy & Project Officer, Chris Thomas
Unison Rep, Roy Leader
Traidcraft, Jackie Oversby
Trade Justice Group, John Oversby
Sustainable Reading, Peter Burt
Local Food Group, Caroline Fernandez
Local Market, Mark Hillyer
Reading International Solidarity Centre, Bente Madeira