Wolsingham Cheese Club: Diversity Initiative Announced
The membership of the Wolsingham Cheese Club (WCC) is pleased to announce that it has appointed a Diversity and Inclusion Officer and ratified a series of policies which will ensure a bright future for lovers of fermented milk products, whoever they may be.
The club recognises that for far too long, some types have been shamefully underrepresented. One glance down the table at one of our regular meetings would have told the casual observer that white, crumbly, middle-aged cheese was very much in the driving seat. Where were the cheeses of colour? Where were the more fluid cheeses? Was our table really open to overseas cheeses or refugee cheeses?
This week the WCC appointed Gordon Soler as Diversity and Inclusion Officer, partly because he failed to attend the meeting due to a flare-up of his condition, and partly because he still hasn’t returned the Treasurer’s lawnmower despite repeated hints and mutterings. In his absence, Gordon has been volunteered for delivering on a five-point Action Plan:
1) Soft cheese must now make up 50% of the Board
2) Casually predjudical remarks about Goat or Sheep cheese will no longer be acceptable
3) Inclusive cheese (eg Wensleydale with cranberries), or cheese of dual heritage (eg Cambozola) will be regarded as “non-white” for the purposes of monitoring
4) A renewed commitment to zero tolerance of processed cheese
5) Reasonable adjustments should be made to help unripe cheese earn a place on the Board
The Club must stress that it is in no way antiCotherstone or Cheddar – widening participation does not need to come at a cost to more traditional wedges. Chief Truckle, Ed Leicester, summed the challenge up with typical clarity:
“It may be easy for us to say ‘we need a broader Board, a Board welcoming cheese from abroad aboard’. But actually delivering this change will require a level of commitment never yet seen among our membership.”
The diversity drive will initially be funded from a rebate the Club received from the Retired Milkmaids’ and Dairymen’s Benevolent Association, which apparently can no longer accept small donations in Turkish lira. Further funds will be raised as required through the Club’s unregistered charitable arm (established several years ago to find new homes for displaced Curds).
We look forward to updating Dalesfolk on progress at some point in the far, far future.
