A weekend permaculture course for parents, teachers and other educators to engage children in all aspects of permaculture. Composed of both indoor and outdoor sessions we will learn how to spend times with children which are child-centred and/or child-led.

We will:
- find out how permaculture ethics and principles can be applied to education, in how we speak, the activities we engage in and in the spaces we design.
- discover some great benefits of outdoor learning, including relevant research, and learn how to create session plans which engage the whole child: eyes, heart, hands and head, through active participation in a session learning about soil.
- look at different garden designs both in school and home gardens and get involved in practical activity.
- learn about the different activities that we can do with children and, more importantly, think about how the way we approach the child can enable us to think of infinite possible activities.

This two day training course is a product of the three year European ‘Children in Permaculture’ project in which best practice has been shared across the continent from Finland to Italy, Scotland to Romania:

​“The future of our planet depends on a change of consciousness, in which the people and the resources of the natural world are no longer taken for granted and exploited without considering long term impacts. Supporting children from early childhood to develop a sensitive, compassionate and cooperative relationship with each other and the natural world is a crucial step in generating this new consciousness” (p. 1, The Children in Permaculture Manual; Alderslowe, Amus & Deshaies, 2018).

In the face of drought and desertification, well-designed water harvesting earthworks such as swales, ponds, and dams are the most effective way to channel water into productive use. The result can be increased food production, higher groundwater levels, reduced irrigation needs, reforestation and enhanced ecosystem resilience. Yet due to a lack of knowledge, designers, and landowners often build earthworks that are costly, inappropriately sized and sited, or even dangerous. This course will give you the knowledge and confidence to get your earthworks right, first time around. Our mission is to teach you the techniques to construct multi-functional ecologically diverse landscapes, aiding in the regeneration of the biosphere.

Earthworks construction can be a rewarding investment in your property. Enhancing the aesthetic appeal, functionality and value of your landscape are all realistic potential outcomes.This earthworks course is a hands-on course that will help you design and implement water harvesting strategies on your property. You will learn the theory and practice of Permaculture Earthworks – learning site design skills, surveying and directing earthmoving machines to establish dams, swales, terraces, access roads and more.

We are building a beautiful events space! Join us to build a 5m roundwood frame with a reciprocal turfed roof and cordwood walls

Week one – 14th – 20th July

Foundation, frame and rafters.

Week two – 18th – 24th August

Reciprocal roof, floor and cordwood walls.

These workshops are part grant funded, so available at the bargain price of £100 per week! This covers all meals, tuition and on site camping. For more information and to book contact Michelle on scythecymru@yahoo.co.uk, 07813 464990/ 01559 371485

Learn how to build a small wind turbine, HAND MADE from simple materials. Gain a wide range of WORKSHOP SKILLS and knowledge about DIY WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS
We are really excited to be offering a 5 day Wind Turbine Building Workshop this Autumn, led by Jonathan Schreiber from PureSelfMade.
What we will be doing.
We will be building a 3m diameter “Hugh Piggott” wind turbine. It will form part of the off-grid electricity system of Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust. The wind turbine is sized to fit within Welsh permitted development rights for micro-electricty production.
Our aim is to complete the turbine during the week, install it on a pre-prepared tower, and get it generating electricity before everyone goes home! There is lots of information about what to expect from the workshop on Jonathan’s website – www.pureselfmade.com
Who is the workshop for?
Any one who is interested! Maybe you want to learn the skills to build your own turbine? Or you are curious about how the process works? Or you would like to learn practical skills that can be transferred to other projects? Or you think you will enjoy spending a week working with other people to create something practical!
Course Details and Booking
The course runs from Wednesday October 2nd – Sunday October 6th, with arrivals on Tuesday Oct. 1st ready for an introductory presentation in the evening.
EARLY BIRD RATE £425 (if booked by 30th June)
STANDARD £475
The cost covers 5 days of tuition, lunch and tea breaks and 6 nights camping. To book please email scythecymru@yahoo.co.uk or call 01559 371485 / 07813 464990

Join us on an inspirational and empowering timber framing journey. Over a fortnight we will be constructing a multi-functional timber framed ‘solar barn’, mainly focusing on creating a strong, traditional and beautiful roof with a twist that is it optimised for a 12kW solar array.

During this course students will have the opportunity to learn the time-honoured craft of the heavy carpenter. We'll be discussing the tools and techniques of the trade as well as history and design, to include some field trips. The bulk of the course however will be hands on joinery work, with an aim to see the barn from pile of timber to raised structure. The timber frame being built will focus on the most critical aspect of any building – the roof.

Following the course there would be an option to stay on and see through the installation of the final roof, finishing details and a 12kW grid tied solar system.

The course runs from June 24th to July 5th 2019 and will be taught on a rolling basis. Ideally most students would book for the entire 2 weeks of the course, and as such go with a strong and empowered understanding. We could also accommodate those who make the whole fortnight.

Course fees are £50 per day and include free camping and food from the farm.

Maf Dwyloycoed has been a timber frame builder and sawyer for 10 years; he part owns Arfon Timber who have a sawmill and busy timber building workshop at Peblig Mill in Caernarfon. Maf has a broad experience of the timber industry being a forester, timber grader, frame designer and having studied Agroforestry at Bangor University.

This short one-day workshop has been designed as an introduction to the fascinating art of landscape photography.

We will look at the subject’s history and theory but focus on how techniques derived from this study can be used to improve your own landscape photography.

You will receive an overview exploring different photographic methods, equipment and ways of editing landscape photography. Finally, there will be an opportunity to put your new skills into practice in the afternoon with an outdoor workshop set in the beautiful landscape of Denmark Farm.

Explore the fascinating world of the mosses and lichens. These are two important groups of living organisms, often a neglected component of many habitats. There are approximately 760 species of moss and 300 species of liverwort in the UK.

Lichens, with over 1000 species are an association of a fungus and an algae (a dual organism). Just like a marriage they generally get along together! They are particularly abundant in the clean and moist air of west Wales but visible all year round, in every habitat.

During the short course we will examine a range of mosses and lichens both indoors and around Denmark farm enabling you to develop basic identification skills. Identification usually requires a hand lens and a microscope is sometimes required. It will be easy to keep a small collection of samples or photographs for future reference. If the weather is poor a range of material can be collected to ID inside and the tutor will bring lots of additional samples.
A fascinating and valuable skill for professional ecologists and anyone who likes a challenge!
Please bring warm and waterproof clothing, boots and a packed lunch. Hot drinks will be provided.

Reference books, guides and keys for identification will be available to use on the day. The Field Studies Council pull-out identification guide ‘Key to ‘Lichens on Twigs’ is useful and will be on sale in the Denmark Farm Shop for £3.30. Also useful to have on the day would be a notebook, hand lens and some old envelopes to keep a small collection of common species.

Achieving a fundamental, long term sense of contentment, satisfaction and meaningfulness is something that has challenged the human species for millennia. Can a deeper understanding of our ecological place in the world provide answers that have been overlooked by modern lifestyles that focus on consumption and instant gratification?
This two-day workshop focuses on deepening ecology in four senses:
1. Understanding the effects of the human species’ disturbance of planet Earth’s life-support system
2. Looking at warning signs about the causes of our current predicament
3. Exploring how human behaviour is driven by basic desires
4. Reflecting on how our inner human processes need to become our focus of attention, as a species and as individuals

During this willow weaving workshop, you will make a beautiful garden trug for collecting your veggie harvest or storing your tools perhaps.

A slightly different twist on the garden trug that we usually do. You will learn how to make the handle from a wreath which is then attached to the rim using a “Gods Eye” weave. You will insert several ribs and also learn how to weave the willow to form the body of the basket. You will learn traditional weaving techniques to create a beautiful and strong basket.

A selection of willow colours will be available. This workshop is suitable for all levels. All tools and equipment will be provided.

During this two day willow weaving workshop, you will make a stylish and sturdy shoulder bag, hip basket or freestanding basket.

You will learn how to make an oval base using the traditional stake and strand method and have a go at using French rand and German wale weaves.

This workshop would suit anyone who has previously woven a willow basket. A selection of willow colours will be available. All tools and equipment will be provided.