…on being a produce share member:
I love being part of this amazing local resource and feel very fortunate to be a produce member receiving local seasonal organic food every week. When I have volunteered it’s been great to contribute and to work alongside like-minded people who share my commitment to creating a healthier, happier world!
D, 2024
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We are so privileged to have a CSA like Canalside in Leamington Spa. It not only connects us to our food source, which is a top priority for me and one that so very few people have in this day and age, but also connects us to a community of people within the town. There’s nothing better than working together and getting to know people of all backgrounds and ages to grow food, nourish ourselves and feel each season against the backdrop of our beautiful farm.
S, April 2024
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I’ve been deliciously eating my way through Canalside veg (and fruit in season) every week for well over ten years now. I’m also a social member of Canalside so I enjoy Canalside social events – like apple pressing day (a hive of activity for all family members), and the summer ceilidh (a glorious summer evening of dancing, socialising and being in nature). The veg are the best! Organic, seasonal and tasty. Yes, sometimes I find a slug in my cauliflower or mud on my carrots (often the latter – I carefully put all the washed off soil on my garden). Any dodgy bits go into my wormery but 99% into my mouth and my family’s and friends’ as well. I really appreciate the whole ethos of Canalside, respecting and working with nature (not against it). I learn so much. I also enjoy volunteering at Canalside, delivering ‘shares’ of veg to our local green cooperative shop, where they can easily be picked up by members who can’t collect from the farm each week. Recommended? 10 out of 10!
Xandra, April 2024
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We feel really lucky to be a part of the Canalside Community. Our children get to form a better understanding about where their food comes from, the work that goes into growing and the seasonality of produce. It’s not an education they are getting from anywhere else. I’m excited to be a part of the community as our family grows as this knowledge and understanding will just become deeper and I hope will lead to a strong appreciation of what is involved in growing our food. We particularly like being able to collect fruit from the orchard in summer – it is one of the highlights of my week and feels like a very special privilege. When we participate in group work mornings, it does benefit our mental health – gentle conversation with other members, physical work and being outdoors is a big contrast to our day to day jobs. We love how there is always a social element afterwards, with efforts to provide food for all. One of our children is autistic and we feel the farm is particularly appealing for him – a safe outdoor space, where he has a chance to be involved in ‘grown up’ activities, we have always been pleased to see how much he can engage with the farm tasks. We have also always felt he is welcome and have not felt judged by anyone at the farm, which as a family helps us feel relaxed and safe.
S, April 2024
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It has been so important to us as a family being part of Canalside. Our children have grown up knowing where our food comes from and how it grows (and eating fabulous organic food). I’m too busy just at the moment to be involved much, but my children are thinking about leaving home in the next few years and I will probably be all lonely and need to come to the farm for company and a sense of fulfilment in my life! I also love being part of a community who gets my concern for the planet and the ecological emergency we face. A lot of my time is spent at work with people who don’t get that (or don’t [care] about it) so I desperately need a place to come and feel normal!! And this gives me the strength to keep on going…
Anon, April 2024
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I have been a member of Canalside Community Food for 17 years, and it has become an inextricable part of my life in Leamington. It has provided me with a circle of like-minded friends. It is amazing to be able to eat food grown organically and freshly harvested less than 2 miles from my home. It is a welcoming social space where we can connect and spend time in nature. It is even more important now for my 6 year old child to have a space to play in nature, to get his hands dirty, and to really understand and appreciate where his food comes from. Being a member of Canalside is an educational experience for children and adults. It is ever more important that we understand the real economics of food production. Supermarket food is cheap but fundamentally unsustainable in so many ways. Being a member of Canalside helps us to better understand the complex costs and benefits in farming – the workers, their labour and their passion, the effects of climate change, the importance of protecting our natural assets, and how delicious local, fresh organic food is compared with supermarket food.
Anon, April 2024
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Canalside has been important for me. When I was a produce member previously it helped my mental health greatly getting out of the house and into the fresh air with my children. My son is autistic and has a limited diet, physically pulling food out of the ground has helped him to try and enjoy new foods and actually expanded his range of safe foods.
C, April 2024
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I like being part of the community farm so local to me. It helps me feel I am doing my bit to restore balance in the environment. It also connects me to nature and the food system which both helps my mental health and educated me. I also eat more vegetables and have started fermenting my food to reduce waste while also improving my health. As ferment is a rediscovered health boost. Attending volunteer days has also been a novel way to exercise and meet new people. I even got wedding inspiration for flower arranging from your team 🙂
L, April 2024
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My family and I have benefited immensely from Canalside over the years. There is something hugely ‘grounding’ about being at the farm, hanging out with people around the fire pit and getting involved in the growing. It is a great antithesis to working life on a PC. The veg is tasty and I have learnt how to cook seasonally from what is available. I notice that my teenagers have a broad knowledge of vegetables and eat them willingly!
Annie, April 2024
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Collecting our Canalside shares is a high point of the week. I love the the way the vegetables change with the seasons. Eating food that was grown right here, in Warwickshire, helps me feel connected, rooted, in the here and now. Thank you Canalside.
Rebecca, April 2024
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I cannot recommend Canalside highly enough. As a member for some time I can say it has been different things to me at different times:
– Always a consistent provider of lovely seasonal veg, grown on site, that supports local employment.
– An opportunity to escape from the daily ‘busy world’ by strolling round the land.
– A chance to get some exercise and fresh air by volunteering in the fields.
– The ability to meet pleasant people from a wide range of backgrounds.
– And, it has broadened our cooking skills as we have tried new recipes to suit the veg provided in any given week.
We feel very lucky to have Canalside on the doorstep.
Martin, April 2024
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Today, was like any other Saturday for us. A drive over to the peaceful, lovely farm to pick up our small share. We have done this for years now and still the magic is there for us! It is a community that we love being part of. The current problems of weather, harvest, rodents are just part of the cycle in our minds. Sometimes we have a huge bounty and other times less.
Please do not get discouraged by this….our community is strong and full of good intentions and I think love for the earth and each other. Everything each of you do to contribute to this gem of a place is so valued. So a heartfelt thanks from us. On we go!
Liz, February 2024
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We joined Canalside in the summer of 2011. We were interested in growing our own vegetables, but didn’t have the time to maintain an allotment, so Canalside seemed to be a good alternative, as we could get involved with the growing process but without the pressure.
It has turned out to be so much more – it has introduced us to a wonderfully diverse group of people, significantly reduced our food budget and expanded our awareness of the amazing variety of vegetables that can be grown in the UK so that we have become much more adventurous in our cooking. We have halved our dependence on processed foods and our children can take healthy sandwiches into school 2 days a week which is good for them and reduces our dinner money bill.
However the greatest effect has been on me. I had been trying to lose weight without success, but then I had the idea of turning half our vegetables into soup in a weekly ‘vat’ which I can freeze in individual portions for work, instead of buying either calorie laden sandwiches or expensive hot meals at the canteen. Since January 2012, I have lost 2 stone and dropped two dress sizes – and with the money I’ve saved I have been able to buy a new wardrobe guilt-free! All thanks to Canalside!
Mandy, February 2013
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…on volunteering at the farm:
Coming along to the regular Wednesday volunteer mornings has really helped me get through a few difficult years. Chatting with like-minded people or just being in my own space every week was very important. I’m really grateful for the physical and mental stimulation these volunteer mornings give me. I also really enjoy being involved in the wider community events on offer.
N, 2024
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I am a home-based worker and also look after my grandchildren; coming to weekly volunteer mornings is really my only regular face-to-face contact with adults outside my family. Conversation flows freely between volunteers and growers as we work on the farm. It is a very accepting atmosphere, and I have made close friends through the group. The work mornings are a great chance to check in and find out how everyone is, and for instance talk through family issues, share food and recipes, or pass on recommendations for places and events, as well as celebrating our achievements on the farm. I have been volunteering at Canalside for over three years, and it has become an important part of my life.
Z, April 2024
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…on being part of a community:
When I first found Canalside I was pleased to be able to access delicious seasonal organic locally grown veg – thereby reducing food miles, chemical pollution and also eating seasonally. To begin with I was in full time work and struggled to access the social aspects except at weekends. Evening collection times being more social would have been helpful in getting to know other members, thereby making access to other community aspects easier. Since stopping work I have become much more involved – with volunteering with the willows and the education project, and also getting to know the growers through volunteering as a mentor. This has led to much greater involvement with the wider staff team and the community. Although I have plenty of other activities in my life, the work at Canalside is hugely valuable to me. Canalside is a brilliant place with wonderful ideals, which chime with my beliefs in how to achieve a better society – against many difficult odds. The strength of the staff team in maintaining the values, and in striving to achieve greater involvement of its members is exemplary. The opportunities for supporting individuals and families in terms of education, mental and physical health, reducing isolation and supporting philosophical ideals are great. With additional resources and funding they could reach even more of the community. I’m proud to be part of the Canalside community – and have very jealous friends and family who are too far away to access it and have nothing similar nearby!
C, 2024
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My whole family has their own connection to the farm and people in their own right. We have woven our lives in to this area and Canalside is like an ever present part of that, it is the space where I am nourished physically and spirituality. I have shared moments with my community, for my community and by my community all thanks to this beautiful community hub. I feel truly grateful for the stewardship it takes to make this possible.
S, April 2024
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To be in community with other members seem to automatically ensure that they are “good” people, that we already have something as important as food and where it comes from in common. I’m a shy person, and, already know quite a few people from the community so coming to the summer social, for example, is a joy in terms of connection. It’s my main reason for volunteering on the stalls at festivals too, that sense of connection with like-minded people.
D, April 2024
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