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5 TH DECEMBER 3-5PM - VIRTUAL CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR By Liz Roman
I, and probably a lot of you, were very sad that we were
unable to hold September and October trading meetings as well
as the actual Christmas Craft Fair. But it was good to catch
up with a few members at the AGM although this year we didn't
have an opportunity to trade.
Good news is that there will be a virtual Christmas
Fair on Dec 5th 3-5pm. Your crafty efforts,
jam making, Christmas decorations, cards, seasonal goodies
etc. will not have gone to waste (and there is still time to
prepare things too or gather suitable items together, if you
had been a bit despondent about the event happening).
I am sure CamLETS members will still be able to enjoy
this preparation for December 25th - WE are definitely NOT
cancelling Christmas!
In the meantime don't forget that if you follow the
guidelines, trading is still possible to keep CamLETS alive
and kicking. Best wishes and here's hoping that things will be
looking better in the new year! Liz
SAFE TRADING IN THE CORONAVIRUS ERA By Clara Todd You can
still trade during lockdown and the restricted time afterwards.
We’ve all got our part to play to prevent the spread of this
awful virus. Here are some safety tips to keep trading and sharing
your brilliant skills and beautiful crafts.
● Continue to wash your hands often with soap and water for at
least twenty seconds ● Clean and disinfect surfaces you use
● Wear a mask when you meet people, or while you work on your
craft/cooking projects ● Coronavirus is killed by high
temperatures, so food that is cooked (and packaged under safe
conditions) is safer than uncooked. ● Current lockdown
guidance allows you to meet one other person outside in a public
place,
taking usual precautions (hands, face, space)
Issue 154: November 2020
CamLETTER News for members of CamLETS,
Cambridge’s Local Exchange & Trading Scheme
www.camlets.org.uk
🎄🎁 Please register! FREE stalls for sellers bit.ly/camlets-xmas
� ❄ Early registration for buyers and sellers will help the
Christmas Fair be successful.
Sellers will receive guidance and a personalised trading sheet
after registration.
http://www.camlets.org.uk/https://bit.ly/camlets-xmas
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MANAGING YOUR CAMS ACCOUNT By Monica Frisch Every
member of CamLETS has an account into which the Cams they earn are
paid and from which they pay others. So one's balance in cams
will fluctuate, just as with a bank account, depending upon
how much you trade. CamLETS is a Local Exchange Trading System and
the purpose is to enable you to get things done for yourself
by doing things for other people. You can use it as much or
as little as you wish, but it is designed for trading and works
best when its members are trading, when cams are circulating.
That is why there are guidelines in the Members' Agreement
about avoiding large balances either positive or negative. There is
no value in hoarding cams and you do not need to save up in
order to buy things. So you can go 'overdrawn' but large
negative balances should be avoided.
If you trade regularly you probably know roughly what your cam
balance is but anyone can always check by going onto the
website and logging into their account. Then go to 'transactions'
and click on 'View my Balance and Exchange History'. At the
top of the list of all the transactions you have done it will
give your balance.
● Lots of cams? Why not use them? See what people are offering.
Perhaps you could use some seasonal fruit or vegetables or do
you need a hand tackling a task you have put off? Perhaps a
CamLETS member will be able to help.
● A big negative balance? You are “in commitment” and need to
try to earn some Cams. See what people are wanting - perhaps
you can help.
If you would like some help managing your Cams account, do
contact the Core Group. As well as our Trading Activator Liz
Roman, we have a system of buddies who can also help.
TID, MID, MISERERE, CARLIN, PALM, PASTE-EGG DAY By Eileen
Skeffington
I have just harvested my Carlins. These are small brown peas,
picked once the pods are ripe and used as dried peas during
winter. As our traditional storage pea, they are used as
other cultures would use chickpeas. They are the main
ingredient of heritage pease pudding or mushy peas.
As the peas are removed, the roots and haulms of the peas are
chopped up and provide fertiliser for the brassica (sprouting
broccoli, cauliflowers and cabbages) seedlings which will be
ready for harvesting in spring. We are fortunate here in
Cambridge that we can successfully sow broad beans in
November.
They replace the root crops, potatoes, carrots and beets, as
part of crop rotation. I usually soak the beans for 24 hours
and sow them in seed trays . They germinate quickly and are
planted when they are a few inches tall. The advantage of starting
them off now is that they avoid the black fly problems of
those sown in Feb/March and of course of an earlier crop.
The variety Aquadulce Claudia is normally cited as the hardiest
to sow for overwintering, but I am using saved seeds whose
variety is lost to memory. Others on our site grow field beans
rather than named broad bean varieties. These occupy the soil
and prevent leaching of nutrients, and if not harvested for
eating, can be cut and allowed to rot down as fertiliser.
Meanwhile, there are still a few autumn raspberries and climbing
french beans to pick. Leeks, sprouting broccoli,
cauliflowers, kale, carrots and beets are all ready to harvest now,
but most will
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also last through the next few months. The pumpkins and squashes
are brought inside and their skins are hardening off. They
will store for 4-6 months. Apples and pears have been carefully
placed in trays in the shed. Windfalls made into cider and
apple cider vinegar.
Traditionally, Carlin peas are eaten on the third Sunday in Lent
as part of the lenten fasting-abstaining from meat. The
children’s rhyme , which we sang playing ball games, list the
Sundays in Lent, by the latin hymns sung The first Sunday in
Lent,the hymn Te Deus Laudamus (Tid) is sung.
Me Deus (Mid) sung on the second Sunday, Miserae on the third
Sunday, Carlin or Passion Sunday, Palm Sunday the Easter or
Pasque. Perhaps with our increasing concern about meat
eating, we could restore Carlin Sunday. Image from
lavenderandlovage.com blog
LIVE MUSIC IN COVID TIMES By Melinda Rigby Covid and live
music have not been a possible combination for many
people. For musicians who were game to venture outdoors
entertaining passers whilst rehearsing in permitted
groups of up to 6, when regulations permitted, has been great
fun. For myself and my french horn, musical
highlights included:
● classical music played by harp, flute and french horn,
serenading a sick friend on the green outside her home
(Mulberry Close)
● a mini concert of string quartet, followed by harp
quintet and then wind quintet, all on a friend's drive on
Rustat Road
● a "not Cambridge Folk festival" Cherry Hinton Hall small
groups sessions (less than 6), playing California dreaming
etc
AND probably the most unexpectedly entertaining Klezmer group in
the centre of the Mill Road graveyard, where the old chapel
used to be, one balmy late September afternoon Lots of
positive appreciation from passers by. All the players have
said it has been the most fun they have had in a long
time. Our next definite public session will be providing
Christmas outdoor music entertainment:
Saturday 19th December, 10.15-11.15am The Green in
front of St James Church Queen Edith Community Food hub
Wulfstan Way
If you have a community food bank near you that you think might
benefit from our voluntary musical cheer or a neighbourhood
that might enjoy some live street music, do contact me and I
will see if our Wind in the Willows quintet can come along to
entertain. On YouTube you can listen to a summer
recording made by a passer-by:
youtube.com/watch?v=KCkuSuIa0mg Well wishes to all
CamLETS members, Melinda HAVE NO MONEY? MAKE YOUR OWN.
By Clara Todd I am struck by the radical potential of this
scheme of ours, CamLETS, for creating value and exchange for
those without access to money. The downturn of economic activity
related to the Coronavirus pandemic have affected many in
Cambridge, and will for years to come.
https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCkuSuIa0mg
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CamLETS membership has bobbed around 130 accounts, a handful of
people come and go every year. Are those folks who would
benefit the most put off by the joining fee? Is membership growth
a ‘lever’ that can stimulate activity and trading? Will it
bring with it new ideas, new uses, new benefits? So we’ll
test this - what happens if we grow . In the last AGM the
membership decided to suspend the joining fee - so from now
until November 2021 you can invite your friends and neighbours to
join for FREE. bit.ly/camlets-join Let’s ponder on the radical
potential of CamLETS and other alternatives to the centralised
monetary system. Rebel economist Kate Raworth, author of
Doughnut Economics (2017), extols the virtues of
complementary currencies to redress the imbalance of power inherent
in a centralised system, that rewards banking and extractive
activity. In contrast to the norm, a regional complementary
currency can “boost the local economy, empower marginalised
communities, [and] reward work that is traditionally unpaid”.
One of the ‘magical’ properties of circulated money is
that it is exchanged as a symbolic equivalent of the product
or service, yet after the exchange it can be exchanged again. It
is, in a way, creating the value at each exchange. That is
what gross domestic product (GDP) is - it measures the value
of transactions in, out and within an area in a set time
frame. Many economists have questioned whether GDP
should be used to indicate economic health. Much of the
activity measured by GDP is extractive and linear, as it’s the
money that’s valued, not the resource stocks or the long term
effects. It has nothing to do with the well-being of the region,
health of citizens, who trades, who benefits. Money can also
leave local circulation easily. Money is attracted elsewhere
if it has more purchasing power (cheaper prices), or is a more
convenient exchange. Keeping money in local circulation
has a powerful effect. Local trade benefits the people and
businesses in an area, and generates wealth in the community
every time it is exchanged; not just the money, but the
productivity and connection within the community. If the money is
in the form of a complementary currency that only has value
within a particular area, the theory is you can keep it
circulating there. There are many complementary schemes with
printed local tender, many associated with the Transition
Towns movement in the UK: The Bristol, Brixton, Lewes, Totnes
Pounds to name a few. Some schemes may have ended but the
notes are still sought after as artistic and cultural
curiosities on eBay, some way over face value.
The use of complementary currencies is gaining wider
acceptance as a tool for community wealth-building. After
perhaps initial distrust, local authorities will often tolerate or
whole-heartedly embrace them. For example, many district
councils in the UK promote time-bank schemes and will accept
time hours as payment for room rental at libraries and community
centres. In Berkshire, Massachusetts,USA, federal currency is
exchanged for BerkShares at nine branch offices of three
local banks and spent at more than 400 locally owned participating
businesses. There are many recent examples of
complementary currencies. The value is created by, and for, the
communities that use them.
● The Bangla-Pesa , a complementary currency used in a slum
called Bangladesh in Mombasa, Kenya, allows residents to earn
and purchase what they need - like food, transport, labour -
even when the official currency is in short supply.
● The Zeitvorsorge scheme , literally translated as “time
provision”, was started in St Gallen, Switzerland. Every
citizen over the age of 60 is invited to earn care-time credits by
helping a local elderly resident with everyday tasks such as
shopping and cooking.
● Torekes , in the Rabot-Blaisantvest district in Ghent,
Belgium, can be earned by many socially-minded activities
like reading to children in a school, teaching sports lessons, and
cleaning up litter. Torekes are accepted by many businesses
in the district.
https://bit.ly/camlets-join
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If you like thinking ‘out of the box’ about local economic
development for and by the community, join the Cambridge
Doughnut Economics Action Group . Many CamLETS members are
already active participants. We want a Cambridge in which
everyone can thrive, and can face the challenges brought on
by the pandemic, inequality and climate change.
cambridgedoughnut.org.uk
IN REVIEW: TRADING WITH ROSIE By Joy Brading
When asked to cover some cushions for Rosie she mentioned
that she hand-makes socks for her family. I pricked up
my ears and placed an order. Rosie has kindly just delivered
them to my door on her walk in the sunshine. I am over
the moon. What talent. I am also inspired to give
it a try as a very worthy life skill! Thank you Rosie.
Have you had a recent trade that was especially pleasurable?
Contact the Core Group or [email protected] to feature in the
newsletter.
DECEMBER & JANUARY EVENTS Due to the recent changes we are
back to online trading/social events for the time being.
Check the latest weekly updates email or the websites'
Members' News & Events page . If any members are
interested in collecting/delivering trades for cams, on behalf of
those who are unable to manage this side of the trade, or who
might be able to help other members learn how to use Zoom,
please do get in touch with the Core Group. Saturday 5th Dec
3-5pm: Christmas Fair, online. See lead article and website.
Saturday 9th Jan 6-9pm: New Year party, online. Silly hats,
quizzes, games. See website.
MUSEUMS, EVENTS & ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND CAMBRIDGE Local
radios throughout England, including BBC Radio Cambridgeshire , are
hosting a doorstep carol service on Wednesday 16 th December.
At 6pm tune into 96.0 FM, turn the radio up, and join others
on the doorstep to sing a selection of christmas carols. For
more information, leaflets and the words to the songs visit
doorstepcarols.co.uk . The National Trust , although
having to close the houses to visitors, is still keeping the
grounds open for visitors to walk around. Booking online is
required as they now have timed entries for arriving to stop
crowding at the entrance. Once in you can stay as long as you
like. Nearby sites are Wimpole Hall and Anglesey Abbey. Toilets are
still open as are cafes for drinks and food to takeaway.
The Cambridge Museum of Technology currently closed until the
5 th December when they hope to reopen 10.30 am to 4.00 pm
every Sunday and Monday, and offers timed slots. Payment is
taken at the door, but you need to book your tickets in advance
here: museumoftechnology.com/book-time-slot The Botanic
Gardens offers day tickets for household and support bubble groups,
and one other person from outside of that group.
botanic.cam.ac.uk/purchase-tickets
https://cambridgedoughnut.org.uk/mailto:[email protected]://www.doorstepcarols.co.uk/https://www.museumoftechnology.com/book-time-slothttps://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/purchase-tickets/
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EXTRA SUPPORT IN TIMES OF NEED Connect with your neighbours for
a friendly chat, helping hand, or to volunteer yourself.
Find your ward's mutual aid group:
cambridge.gov.uk/coronavirus-ask-for-help We all are
getting to grips with life during the COVID-19 pandemic, but
for those of us who are finding things a little tough, here
are some good resources to keep a note of if you need a
bit of extra help: Telephone 111 option 2. NHS helpline for
mental health. First Response team for Mental Health.
24-hour access, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to mental
health care, advice, and support. Operated by MIND .
Give us a Shout - giveusashout.org/ Text Shout to 85258. Text
only support for those that don't want to talk on the phone.
Coping with COVID Anxiety - Sound advice from the
World Health Organization - PDF sheet to print out and keep
handy. who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/co
ping-with-stress.pdf
CORE GROUP MEETINGS These are the bi-monthly meetings where we
discuss the running of CamLETS. All members are welcome
to attend. 7pm for 7:15. Next meeting: 15th
December by Zoom.
NEW OR RETURNING MEMBERS By Jane Howorth
We would like to welcome the following rew members to
CamLETS: #0776 Janet Walker. 07751 600315/ 01223
690157. [email protected] #0777 Philip Wood.
0753 2172600. [email protected] I've known about
LETS for a long time,but I had it in mind to join up after I
took up a new post in Cambridge. I'm the community
worker with Downing Place United Reformed Church,
researching a new community hub. I live in St. Ives. I'm a
writer by background, with a passion for birding. I'm also a
Mennonite. That's half-way to being Amish! I'm totally
impractical, but do know a thing or two about birding,
walking, writing and some quirky history. The organisation I
work for (Downing Place URC) has a wealth of community
connections and (after the pandemic) wonderful city centre
premises for community space
************************ Tell your friends and neighbours
that there is NO JOINING FEE until at least November
2021, and let’s grow our community. bit.ly/camlets-join
************************
CORE GROUP FOR 2020/2021 Chair Melinda Rigby #0637
07808 402608 Meeting Secretary Deborah
Alderwick #0726 01223 839086 Newsletter Editor
Hannah Gordon-Smith #0715 07709 352991 Mailing Manager
Eileen Skeffington #0743 01223 360272
Membership Jane Howorth #0563 01223 575109
Website Manager Clara Todd #0685 07709
588384 Treasurer Monica Frisch #0539
07788 870852 Trading Activator Liz Roman #0225 01223 870929
Asst Trading Ursula Stubbings #0048 01223 840882
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/coronavirus-ask-for-helphttps://giveusashout.org/https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/coping-with-stress.pdfhttps://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/coping-with-stress.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://bit.ly/camlets-join
