Updates from CHW & Exciting news!

Good afternoon, CHW.

First of all, congratulations, you are the first readers of the new digital edition of the CHW newsletter! We made the call to deliver the newsletter in this way in order to lessen responsibilities on co-operative members and staff. Further, we feel it is more ecologically friendly, and more accessible. Feel free to voice your views about this in reply to this email — another possibility created by this medium!

Anyway! On to CHW updates: this week has been incredible for productivity, we are very nearly caught up on deficits, after being presented with some (at first) seemingly insurmountable challenges. Our community showed immense resilience and has pulled together to clamber this mountain with a huge amount of willpower and determination. This is an excellent example of how co-operatives work. From emotional support, to growing support, to financial support, to administrative work, and endless words of encouragement — everybody has added something, and we can only see this increasing.

Before we dive into the rest, a quick ask: we've put together a short skills and interests survey to understand what our membership can offer — and what you'd like out of CHW. It takes a few minutes and helps the committee plan volunteering, events, and the things we build together. And please don't limit yourself to skills — there's a free-text box at the end, so feel free to add any resources, contacts, equipment, or anything else you think might be useful to the co-op. Please give it a go.

News from the poly-tunnel has reached. The Rhubarb is on its way, potted by Sara and Aaron. The parsley, too — thanks to our best waterer, Isla, with supervisory support from our pot-holer (not the council kind, the helpful kind, which allows us to drain water from our plants) Charlotte. Further, Janet alliteratively perfectly potted the peppers, no peter picking any pecks or pickling in site. All this while Hannah and Karen made teas, not only for volunteers, but also for plant life — equisetum tea, in this case… (wouldn't advise drinking it as a human, it's made from horsetail ((a plant, for the record)) — the removal of which is an immense task in itself).

In this week's share you'll find our mystery tomato selection — the naming convention for which is: idiomatic ways to say "we don't know what type of tomato this is". A personal favourite is "Tomato-be or not to be" (thanks Janet). The naming spree was the brainchild of Judith and Aaron (who also built a fence for the peas), with contributions from various members of the volunteer team who were called upon ad-hoc to make up a tomato name. Evidently, they came through.

We'd love to trace where each one ends up — so if you could reply with your mystery chosen tomato name, we'll track which are which when they fruit.

On top of all of this, Aaron has kindly contributed a brand new, custom-built website where members can do all sorts, including logging wildlife on the farm, selecting volunteer hours, reading updates, networking with other members and co-operatives, sharing resources and skills, recipes, and more. This is an amazing opportunity for ideas from members — because we are building the website internally, it means that almost any idea, big or small, can be implemented. The social media will be getting an overhaul, too. Some ideas we have, for your own inspiration:

• Resource map and contact book for connecting the CSA and farming community locally • An online forum for posting various questions members have about CHW (or anything else locally relevant) where other members with that information can answer • Nature trails locally • Local updates on relevant news • Bird spotters • Nature uploads (notable things spotted around the farm, such as the sparrowhawk who watches our land, and the nearby woodpeckers)

Speaking of nature uploads — if you spot something interesting around the farm or in your own patch (a peculiar bird, a wildflower you can't name, a bee with a striped backside, anything), please share it on the wildlife observations page. It's open to every member, and we're building up a record of what shares the land with us.

Thankfully, CHW isn't on its own. The Community Supported Agriculture model we're part of is growing across the country — co-operatives like ours feeding their neighbourhoods, restoring soil, and keeping food close to the people who eat it. The Guardian recently wrote about how farming co-operatives could unleash growth and resilience in the face of global crises. It puts our small patch of Leicestershire into a much bigger picture, and we see ourselves as one expression of that movement.

One last thing: to use the new website, you'll need to create a website account here. If you sign up using the same email address we already have on file for you, your account will be linked automatically and you'll have full member access straight away. If you sign up with a different email, no worries — just let us know and we'll link the accounts manually. If you know someone who'd like to apply to join CHW, the application page is here — we have limited capacity but always welcome enquiries.

You'll have noticed there are lots of leafy greens this week while we make space for incoming tomatoes.