A permaculture journey

By David Hewitt, Trustee and Honorary Treasurer

Introduction

Before becoming a trustee about five years ago, I had never heard of the Permaculture Association nor even the term permaculture. A friend and fellow trustee in another charity mentioned that she was a trustee in something called the Permaculture Association (PA) and was looking to retire from it. Would I be interested? I wasn’t sure but I was a little intrigued. The idea, she said, was that I would be Honorary Treasurer as the previous one had decided to leave and they needed a successor. I would be ideal for that, she added seductively, finance being my career background.

Eventually, I agreed to meet Andy Goldring, PA’s Chief Executive Officer, and in due course I was asked if I was interested and said yes. It was an opportunity to broaden my experience, try to help PA in whatever way I could, and keep my brain working as I moved into full retirement! 

Early impressions - How it all works

Although I had a good briefing from Andy, it was still something of a challenge to get to grips with the complexities of what permaculture is and how PA works. The Memorandum and Articles of Association contains two objectives: 

1. to advance the education of the public in the theory and practice of permaculture…    and 

2. to carry out research into permaculture… and publish and disseminate the results.

The financial accounts have to comply with both company accounting and charitable accounting standards and have to be submitted to Companies House, the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the equivalent body for Scotland. An independent accountancy firm assists PA with the accounts and ensures compliance with the standards.

Charitable status helps PA to apply for grant funding. Company status allows PA to make a financial surplus and build up reserves which are then available to develop business lines to further the PA’s objectives and provide financial resilience. 

I was impressed by how well all this was done on limited resources. Over the years PA generally achieves a turnover of around £200,000 and often double that if you add an average year for obtaining grant income, which varies significantly from year to year.

People

It was immediately noticeable to me how committed Andy and his small team were to furthering the cause of permaculture. The nature of its mission to regenerate the environment, in a way which is working with nature not against it, and with some good ethical principles, makes PA an attractive organisation to work for. There was, and still is, a great sense of purpose, which helps to explain how Andy has inspired his small teams and built the reputation and scope of PA from small beginnings 35 years ago.

It’s also true that permaculture people everywhere have a sense of mission and feel part of something bigger than themselves that gives them hope for the future. Speaking for myself I think it has changed my way of looking at things for the better. It’s another lever towards moving away from the consumer society and creating simpler, less stressful, lives. 

For about 15 years we have had an apartment in Portugal in the Algarve. It’s in a small town in the hills and nature abounds. We are there for about 2-3 months a year. It’s green all the year round, wild flowers everywhere, the air is good and most of the food in the supermarkets is grown in Portugal. It’s interesting to make comparisons with the UK and since I’ve become connected with permaculture I find myself doing that more.

Systems

I hadn’t expected to find an organisation in the environmental sector to be at the forefront of technology but the accounting system worked well, payroll too, and the revelation was Zoom. It was not on my radar but, although the head office is in Leeds, Zoom enabled PA to operate with a wider footprint when recruiting staff and holding trustee meetings. It was particularly useful when Covid struck, so PA coped with that and work continued, with the organisation hardly breaking stride. 

There was a good website and online educational offerings were being developed. I took an introductory course myself to get some background on permaculture. It was very impressive. 
 

There was a Board Manual for the Trustees and staff and the governance side of the organisation was well run, if sometimes right up against the clock! One change since I joined was to introduce management accounts, to help understand better the relative profitability of the different activities and monitor progress against budget during the year. 

Where am I now on my permaculture journey?

PA is in good shape. It makes a surplus nearly every year. It has reserves and no debt.
The Board of Trustees wishes to build on past achievements and support the Chief Executive in his drive to raise PA’s profile still further, increase our membership, and help to see more and more people ‘doing’ permaculture. The benefits to society would be numerous, for example: contributing to reversal of environmental damage; increasing the amount of home-grown food; helping to address physical and mental health problems; offering a better future... 
This will not be easy. PA is aiming to partner with an increased number of like-minded bodies. The current political and economic situation is not helpful for charities in general and particularly those who want to change the world!  

Conclusion

For me personally, joining PA and starting my own journey has been a great experience. Andy and his team do a great job. I have learnt a lot, including from fellow trustees. The Board of Trustees never stands still. Faces are ever changing and include a full cross-section from diverse backgrounds. There is a lot of expertise.

Let’s all continue our permaculture journey. Here’s hoping for that better world!