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Newsletter Summer 2009 | |
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We're
Moving! Starting October 17th trading session, we’ll be using their Meeting Room to trade in and run our cafe - on slightly different terms - their cellar and a cabinet in the back lobby for storage. We agreed the move at a food co-op meeting a few months ago pending their Committee reaching a consensus on our proposal. In order to make a fuss of our re-launch date we’ve chosen the day the library is holding a World Music event, which we can link up with. It’s been a great couple of years at the Salvation Army, thankyou very much to the captains and congregation who have let us use their space. ‘Emergency’ meeting next Friday, 4th Sept at 7pm at 19a Tower St itself The co-op will run differently in this new space, so it’s really important that members try to attend in order to get up to speed. The evening will cover what will change about the co-op’s running; in summary that the new opening hours will be 10-2pm Saturdays with an hour(ish) before and after to set up and clear away the shop. This is a result of not having Friday mornings available for us to set up shop like we’re used to at the Salvation Army hall. The second half of the meeting will be arranging what needs to be made, bought or enacted, ie. what YOU need to do to make this happen. You will also have a tour of the premises! The new home will bring us a more central location so we should get more passing trade and visibility, as well being right next to the bus station for accessiblity improvement on all fronts! Come to the meeting to find out the details, input your ideas and suggestions, voice concerns to think need addressing, and to sign up for tasks you have the skills for - we need new promotional materials, decorations, and carpentry doing, and people to take responsibility for particular aspects of the move. If you can’t make the meeting, it’s almost imperative that you email your contributions or questions to ipswichripplecic@gmail.com or call 01473 684449 |
There is also a meeting
scheduled for 1st October, 7pm at the Co-op Education Centre on Fore St,
this one for the final decision on whether we have to increase our prices to
stay viable. We’ll use the data we’ve collated on the DIY accounting
software during the year and the laptop tills to decide, and the result will
itself inform the subsequent decision on changing the pricing structure to a
‘helper-’ and ‘non-helper-’ member format; see below.
Proposal for two-tier pricing system between ‘helper’ members and ‘non-helper’ members: For those of you that have been attending co-op meetings regularly, you will know this issue has been discussed for far too long! The rest of you are probably totally perplexed, so here’s the lowdown. In Dec 08 we were looking at what it means to be a member of the co-op and how we can motivate members to become helpers. A proposal has evolved thus: rather than our current price differential between members and non-members, that it be between those who are helpers and those who are not. ‘Helpers’, under this proposal, take
responsibility to ensure the co-op’s running in whatever way they can manage
- this may be admin work, publicity, helping set up / clear away the co-op,
organise an event or skillshare,etc - a set number of times per year. This system will provide a benchmark for how much
we expect members to put into the co-op. Last year’s accounts imply we need
to increase income so to have more people paying the higher rate may avoid a
blanket price increase. So; the different options: Gemma will be at the co-op on 19th Sept getting everybodys’ votes if you haven’t emailed or phoned in your opinion by then. Place your votes now please!
Community Harvest at Maidenhall Allotments |
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Seaweed in Stock ASAP Quality Sea Veg in Donegal, Ireland are going to be providing us with wakame, dulse, kelp and more so get ready for super hearty nourishing miso soup, here’s the recipe: Cut Mori-Nu Silken tofu into 1cm cubes Add all ingredients except tofu to boiling water and simmer for 7 minutes,
Consume! Ingredients in bold are available at the co-op. Recipe Quilt Wouldn’t it be great if we had a giant wall hanging to decorate the co-op which incorporated members’ recipes made out of recycled fabric and woven together into an arabic design, like this. Well, it’s coming soon! Jon Halls is going to be at a trading session soon getting people to write down their culinary delights direct onto patches which will be sewn together as a community effort, expanding limitlessly to beautify our space. His email, in case you can’t be there in person, is bangonpercussion@yahoo.co.uk, or post to 108 Westerfield Rd.
Printing our own tea towels and
aprons! Upcoming Events 1st September 1pm Maidenhall Community Garden Management Committee meeting. Working lunch - pick your own sandwich fillers. Talking about development and outreach of the project. Contact details in enclosed newsletter. 10th Sept 8pm - Green Drinks at the Dove, St Helens St. An informal evening for environmentalists and those working towards social change. 17th September, 7pm - Transition Ipswich Film Screening and Discussion - 19 Tower Street, Ipswich. Join us as we explore how we can respond positively to the challenges of climate change and the end of cheap oil. www.greenlivingcentre.org.uk/TransitionIpswich/ 22nd September; late morning - mid-afternoon Co-operatives East AGM, hosted by Anglian Farmers Co-op at Honingham Thorpe. We are booked in for a stall at this event, but have nobody to actively staff it - if you want a look around some of the regions’ oldest co-operatives, like Wood Fuels and Eastern Machinery Rig, and want free lunch, go! We are members of Co-ops East, who are the regional body of Co-ops UK. Contact Austen Cordasco to book and for full details: 07795 430599 Late Sept evening date tbc - Introduction to Housing Co-ops and Communal Living; Putting Dreams into Practice. Hosted at the Spinney, 108 Westerfield Rd, with displays and talks from Random Camel Housing Co-op and Radical Routes co-op support network, a chance to find out how to buy property collectively in Ipswich and beyond. If you were thinking of joining or investing in a local ethical project, this is for you too. To be notified of final details, contact 01473 684449 or randomcamel@phonecoop.coop 24 September, 7-9pm - Transition Town Ipswich Planning Meeting at Co-op Education Centre, Fore Street, IP4 1JW. 26 September, 12-6pm - RESPECT Festival UCS, The Waterfront Building, Neptune Quay Ipswich's biggest anti prejudice festival is back for its 5th year, and it's bigger than ever! Live music, community stalls, entertainment, arts/ music workshops - ALL FREE! Wednesday nights from 30/09/09, Suffolk College: ‘Love Your Bike’ - an Introduction to cycle maintenance & repair course from Kevin the Bike Doctor. See www.suffolk.ac.uk/ our_courses/leisure_learning Details on p18 2nd October 9-4pm Creating the Greenest County Conference, at Suffolk Showground, put on by the county council. Considering our council are supporting Snoasis, incinerators, Sizewell etc, you might think this event would generate popular protest or at least information stalls highlighting such hypocrisy. 8th October 8pm - Green Drinks at the Dove |
11th October 10-4pm at Assington Mill, Sudbury ‘Food For Free’ course £50 01787229955 16th October - Day of Action against McDonalds 21 October,
7:30pm - ‘Food From the Wild’ 24-25th October International Day of Climate Action. Cornhill, Ipswich Stalls on the Cornhill to raise awareness of Climate Change and the urgency of taking action. If you represent a charity, voluntary organisation or government agencies that supports the Stop Climate Chaos policy, and would like a stall, please contact Charles Croydon (charles_croydon@hotmail.com) 26th-27th October - Open Evenings at Orwell Astronomical Society, Orwell Park School Observatory, Nacton www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~ipswich/ 1st November - World Vegan Day 28th November - Ipswich Green Fair, Town Hall 13th-15th November - Radical Routes Quarterly Gathering, Brighton. If you’re interested in cooperative living or working, come with Gem, John Helen and Kate from Ipswich’s own Housing Co-op for a weekend of consensus decision making, facilitation and alternative finance workshops. www.radicalroutes.org.uk How to get involved in the Food Co-op 1. Promotion: Tell everyone you know about it and encourage them to come along, shop, and join. Put our leaflet or an advert about us on your blog, work bulletin board, toddler’s group noticeboard etc. Think of an event coming up (see previous section!!) where we could benefit from having an information stall and book us in, then talk to Helen about how best to staff it. 2. Signing up to do a Rota Shift at a trading
session 3. Come to a Meeting! Join a Working Group! Stock control & Ordering; John Fisher, Debbie
Lacey, Helen M & Nigel Mckean, Ian St John Contact them to join! They meet autonomously when they need to, at trading sessions or down the pub, otherwise they liaise via email/phone to sort issues out. They send representatives to each food co-op meeting to report back on their activities and achieve a wider consensus if they have a difficult decision to make. Food co-op meetings are generally accompanied by hot beverages and cake if you need a culinary incentive, and last an hour or two. Agendas are open to input from all members, so if you have concerns / a brainwave bring it up then and there. Bring your diary if you have a mind to sign up on the rota - that’s always a standing agenda item. See you soon! x Ipswich Ripple CIC - Reg. Office 119 Jovian Way, |