by Kath Baker
Welcome to our 2022 programme of online gatherings hosted by some of the most inspiring permaculture practitioners and educators in the network. This is your opportunity to meet up with other people running permaculture projects and LAND centres to get inspired by their project stories, to learn new skills and to get support and advice for your project work.
This year we have curated a programme that will really help you to consider the people care, as well as the practical aspects of your project. How can you establish meaningful practices and policies using permaculture ethics and principles? How can you create collaborative, co-empowering learning communities? How can your project be more inclusive, more diverse and more financially sustainable? How can your project enhance wellbeing for you and your volunteers?
Each online gathering will take place on the last Wednesday of the month from 6.30-8pm. In order to access this programme of online events, you must be a member of the Permaculture Association and be signed up for our new free projects membership offer. Once you are signed up, you will be added to our projects mailing list and will be sent Zoom links for these gatherings, so you can register in advance for each session. This offer will also entitle you to a free place on our upcoming project masterclasses, a discount on public liability insurance with our partner Zurich insurance, an invitation to our online projects and LAND Community, support with mapping your project on our interactive projects and LAND map and much more.
Projects and LAND Online Gathering Programme 2022
January 26 - Creating Permaculture Principles for Your Project
Hyde Park Source are a project committed to enabling better health and well-being through improving the environment. They have done this through creating a number of urban community gardens, outdoor education and holiday club initiatives and design and build projects. In 2014 they became a Permaculture LAND centre, and are a centre of excellence in their practical people care.
In this first session of year, you will learn about how Hyde Park Source wrote their own Permaculture Principles which are a synthesis of the 5 ways to wellbeing and the 12 Holmgren Principles. Project Co-ordinator Pete Tatham will introduce these principles to you, talk to you about the process of putting this together and why it was such a valuable process.This is a great opportunity for you to revisit the core vision mission and aims for your project and to do some intention setting for 2022.
February 23 - Introducing the Roots N Permaculture Learning Community
The Roots N Permaculture learning community is an online group who are passionate about supporting each other to create tangible, positive change in the world by sharing ideas, knowledge and inspiration with a view to implementing it at a local level. The community hosts a design database, tools, project information, resources for teachers and students plus a regular online skill share event.
In this session, internationally renowned permaculture educator Rakesh Rootsman Rak will talk about his motivations for creating this learning community, how it works and the benefits of being involved. Rakesh will also share practical advice on how to start a learning community, who runs it, what activities are included and how to organise them plus a basic introduction to the sociocratic principles that inform all group decision making.
March 30 - Welcome to Oxford City Farm
Oxford City Farm is a Charity that is turning a derelict brownfield site into a community greenspace and permacultural learning centre. They use no-dig and forest gardening techniques, have rainwater harvesting and a composting toilet and a salvaged kitchen classroom. The farm hosts school groups, volunteering sessions, dropins, pop-up cafes, and private groups with the aim to create an accessible relaxing place to be and learn for everyone.
Join Phil Pritchard as he introduces us to the busy programme at Oxford city farm, including their community volunteering opportunities, supported farm nurture sessions, work with local schools, upskilling workshops and social events. Learn how the project managed to secure a 40 year lease with the support of funders and the local community to be able to realise their vision of empowered communities learning and working together to produce food locally living healthy, enriched and sustainable lives.
April 27 - Take a Virtual Tour of Eco-works Community Garden
Ecoworks is a community garden charity situated in the heart of St Anns in Nottingham. For nearly 25 years, they have opened our garden gates within the St Anns allotments, and welcomed the local community to take part in a range of opportunities and activities including organic gardening, green build, permaculture, seasonal garden cooking and campfire cooking, eco-craft and willow basketry, wildlife conservation and art.
In this session, permaculture educator Paul Paine will take you on a virtual tour of Ecoworks’ various projects and will share how they're underpinned by permaculture ethics and principles.
May 25 - Supporting Our Community at Scotswood Garden
Established in 1995, Scotswood Garden is a Newcastle Upon Tyne based community and environmental organisation, Permaculture LAND Centre, local wildlife site of specific interest and Community Green Flag award holder. Their neighbourhood in the West End of Newcastle is ranked in the highest 10% for multiple deprivation and has child poverty levels at almost double the national average. Scotswood Garden supports up to 4000 people a year and delivers a wide range of services to support our local community.
Scotswood CEO Karen Dobson will share the history of the garden, current projects, how they have funded their work and their exciting next steps to becoming financially self sufficient. As a centre of excellence in equity, diversity and inclusion, Karen will also explain what steps they have taken to be an accessible and inclusive space to their entire community.
June 29 - Permaculture and Wellbeing at Sol Havens
Sol Havens is an eco-sustainable permaculture farm with an education and rejuvenation centre that provides individuals with a safe working environment to learn, grow and blossom to their full potential. Their aim is to connect homeless and vulnerable adults together with Nature, providing a world of nourishment and rejuvenation through improving peoples' mental and physical well being.
In this session, Sammuel Yisrael will talk about the vision behind Sol Havens, the range of activities they run and how they use permaculture ethics and principles to create one of the most inspiring people care projects in our network. Sol Havens have just secured funding to develop their work around permaculture and mental health, so be sure to attend this session to find out more about their exciting plans.
July 27 - Peek behind the Curtain at the Hidden Mill
The Hidden Mill is a permaculture LAND Centre, based in South West Scotland. The mill is an historic building where corn was ground up until the 1950’s. Now the watercourse has been turned into a temperamental micro hydro system.. It is a centre for education and experimentation in radical growing, green building and energy systems with pasture, woodland, waterways, ponds, forest gardens, orchards and a paradise of edges.
Take a peek behind the curtain of the Hidden Mill with permaculturalist and owner Lorraine Ishak, to discover some of the systems at work here and how they are practically woven together to meet permaculture ethics. Learn how Lorraine has created a sustainable business with multiple income streams, where they host tourists, build soil, use appropriate technology and teach people skills to support them to navigate an uncertain future.
August 31 - Plants for a Future
Plants For A Future (PFAF) provides a free-to-use online database with detailed, codified information on over 8,000 plants, mainly perennials, with edible, medicinal and other uses. The information is progressively enhanced and refined through their own expertise and a network of users worldwide. A sophisticated search facility is provided on their website to enable selection of sets of plants to meet combinations of criteria, including properties and uses, carbon farming applications, and growing conditions. They also have a series of illustrated books..
Join the plants for a future team in this session and find out about what the current focus is at PFAF, including the launch of their Food Forest Fund, which will support the start up of several new forest gardens in the uk. They are also keen to find out how their database, search facilities and publications can be of use to designers of food forests. With over 30 years of practical experience of promoting and cataloging perennial, edible plants to share, this is a session not to be missed.
September 28 - Think Like a Tree
The Think Like a Tree programme was created as a practical and accessible way for anyone to harness the wisdom of the natural world, and apply it in their own lives.The same principles that make natural ecosystems resilient, successful and enduring can be applied to our own lives.By looking at life in a different way, a walk in the woods could literally be the gateway to a better you, leading to happiness, better wellbeing, health, improved relationships, work, leisure and community.
Join Permaculture educator and Think Like a Tree facilitator Samantha Woods as she introduces us to the ‘Think Like a Tree’ programme where we will explore:
the natural principles and nature’s patterns learned from observing nature
the design cycle to allow us to put the principles into action
the tools to give us the means to get where we want to be.
October 26 - Recreating the Commons at Warland Ecogrowing
Warland Ecogrowing is an ancient dwelling in the South Pennines, three miles south of Todmorden. They are restoring the land and its community through permaculture techniques to create The School of Sustainable Living, where traditional practices, crafts and art are explored, preserved and passed on. Our community aims to share with visitors the value of practical, traditional and ecologically sound techniques for land care, work, entertainment, cooking and community living.
In this session, founder David Warland will talk about how Warland Ecogrowing is being established as a commons, where long term committed volunteers are given an area of responsibility and will eventually collectively inherit the farm, as he and his wife Monica have no children to pass the farm onto. David is pioneering this into an innovative legal structure, to ensure the long term self sufficiency of the project and to avoid some of the pitfalls of community politics. Long term volunteer and permaculturalist Darren Roberts will share his experience of being a commoner at the farm and will explain his role and responsibilities along with his current permaculture growing activities and future plans at the farm.
November 30 - Using Art and Permaculture to Deepen a Connection with the Natural World
Liz Postlethwaite is a socially engaged artist based north of Manchester. She completed her Diploma in Permaculture Design in 2021 and used this learning time as a space to explore ways that she could bring together her arts practice and her interest in permaculture and Permaculture Design.
Her talk will focus upon her project Mud and Culture, which is a outdoor group for children using art and permaculture to support participants to deepen their connection with the natural world. It will also touch upon other work that she is doing around permaculture, art and imagination and issues of safeguarding, logistics and risk management when developing permaculture projects which engage the general public.
January 25th- Permaculture and Mental Health
Plot 163b is a local authority allotment where Wenderlynn and Iain Bagnall of Wyld Edges host monthly volunteer and learning days. Alongside learning the basics of how to implement permaculture techniques and forest gardening in small spaces, participants are invited to connect and support each other’s mental wellbeing. Wyld Edges provide a space for people to learn and share their stories and find out what they need to help them on their emotional journey, usually it’s as simple as us just being there.
Wenderlynn is a permaculture educator, MIND campaigner and youth mental health first aider. In this session she will share how she is using permaculture design in a community garden setting to promote good mental health. Learn about how she has integrated the Five Ways To Wellbeing into a wellbeing toolkit that helps us to check in with ourselves, ensuring we are taking the time to meet our wellbeing needs and promote good mental and physical health.
We look forward to meeting you around our virtual campfire. To find out more or for help with signing up for your projects membership offer, email [email protected].