A one day traditional willow basket weaving workshop in which we will be using a variety of natural willows to make a woven paper tray.

For this A4 size paper tray basket we will first make a square base, then waled sides and a rod border with rounded corners. You will learn traditional basket making skills, using prepared basketry willow plus some grown at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre on the wetland system to add colour and texture.

This workshop is suitable for beginners but a little more challenging than making this simple round basket.

All tools and materials provided. If you have your own sharp secateurs and a knife, please bring them along. Please wear warm old clothing and bring a packed lunch, hot drinks will be provided.

A one day traditional willow basket weaving workshop in which we will be using a variety of natural willows to make a small round bread basket.

For this round basket we will start with a conventional base and have waled and randed sides, before finishing with this attractive track boarder. You will learn traditional ‘stake and strand’ basket making, using prepared basketry willow plus some grown at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre on the wetland system to add colour and texture. This workshop is suitable for complete beginners but if you’ve made a basket before and would like a refresher day this is a great opportunity.

All tools and materials provided. If you have your own sharp secateurs and a knife, please bring them along. Please wear warm old clothing and a packed lunch.

Our WET System has specially designed and constructed ponds and earth banks, densely planted with wetland trees and marginal plants. As wastewater flows through, it is both purified by microbiological action and transpired by growing plants. In the process, a beautiful, species-rich wildlife habitat is created, including a willow resource that can be used for basketry, hurdles, garden features or fuel, depending on the coppice cycle.

- Learn how the willow is cultivated and coppiced in order to keep the willow beds healthy and promote optimum growth
- Learn the traditional way that willow is sorted into lengths for weaving
- Learn the best conditions for willow to be planted for growing your own at home

During the morning session will be covering all the above points. After lunch we will continue with some willow coppicing. If you can stay on for the full day the morning workshop can be discounted by £5. Please bring waterproof clothing, wellies and a packed lunch. All tools will be provided.

We are caught up in a consumer society with convenience being sold with the disposable products we now buy that can save us time in our lives. But their creation and disposal produces other impacts on the planet, what if things could be done differently?

Come join our introduction to “Inconvenience” workshop with ideas to “ditch the disposable and unplug”. Learn how to make everyday items for personal care and the home that can be washed and reused and reduce reliance on “throw away” items.

On this Inconvenience workshop you will have the opportunity to make washable face pads, a useful and unusual fold-away bag and beeswax wraps. There will be a cup of soup for lunch provided by way of a demonstration of Haybox cooking (retained heat) along with the opportunity to see and discuss the other items from the Inconvenience Stall.

Please bring a packed lunch. A cup of vegetable soup will be provided.

Learn that raw food can not only be healthy but totally delicious with this creative short course with Peggy Beer from Eldertree, a local business specialising in fermented and raw foods. We will make a fabulous 4 course menu and then share the joy of eating together!

Foods are classified as raw if the heating temperature does not exceed 45C, as to not destroy the enzymes in the food. You will learn how to prepare a complete vegan raw menu with fresh raw foods (some will be slightly warmed up). We will aim to use local and organic ingredients where possible. Warming ginger and lemon tea provided too!

Peggy will do a short introduction about the backgrounds of a raw diet and then get straight into the practical elements. Please bring your own knifes, cutting boards and storage containers to take any left overs home, if we haven’t finished it all. Peggy will provide all the ingredients. Some parts of the meal will be pre-prepared with a dehydrator. The recipes and full instructions will be provided as hand-outs from the tutor, to take home. If you have any food allergies please contact Peggy beforehand and she will try and accommodate your requests.

Make your own healthy and delicious fermented foods, sauces and Kombucha drinks with Peggy Beer from Eldertree, a local business specialising in fermented foods.

This fermented foods workshop is split into 2 parts. In the first part we will learn how to make Kombucha and how to do a first and second ferment. We will talk about lacto-fermentation and explore and taste a variety of different fermented products from around the world.

In the second part we will get practical. Please bring your own knives, cutting boards and storage containers to take your Kombucha and your started ferments home in and let the bacteria do their work, as well as the vegetables you would like to ferment (cabbage is usually a good one for a first go).

Peggy will provide salt, spices and knowledge on how to do it. There will be the possibility of having a go at making your own sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), as well as fermenting other vegetables, making kimchi, fermented chilli sauce and fermented chutney. If you are interested in any specific recipe please get in contact with Peggy beforehand and she can give advice on what ingredients to bring on the day.

Learn off-grid design principles and gain practical skills to build future systems.

• All materials provided, including charging components
• Bring a friend and get 10% off
• 95% of public workshop attendees rated our course as 'excellent' or 'very good'

 
You will:

• Learn what energy is - how it works today, and what’s in store for the future
• Understand the electrical basics: current, voltage, resistance, power, series and parallel circuits.
• Learn to test and use 12V batteries.
• Know how to choose the right components to build circuits to power phones and laptop chargers.
• Receive advice for further circuit and systems design and build.
• Dig deeper into the energy dilemma - and possible solutions

 
No prior knowledge required!
For more information on course content go here.
To book a place go here.
To combine with a Build Your Own Solar Charger workshop and save £15 go here.
 
All profits reinvested into our social objectives.
Demand Energy Equality is a not-for-profit dedicated to increasing energy literacy, reducing energy demand and working with others to ensure equality of energy access.

Create your own portable solar charger from re-used materials able to power phones and USB devices

• Take your charger home at the end of the day
• All materials provided, including charging components
• Bring a friend and get 10% off
• 95% of public workshop attendees rated our course as 'excellent' or 'very good'

 
You will:

• Learn what energy is - how it works today, and what’s in store for the future
• Understand the electrical basics: current, voltage, resistance, power, series and parallel circuits
• Build your own fully functional solar PV panels
• Understand how to test your panel and connect charging components to use your power on the spot
• Dig deeper into the energy dilemma - and possible solutions

 
No prior knowledge required!
Watch our video preview here
For more information on course content go here.
To book a place go here.
To book with Introduction to Off-grid Systems and save £15 go here.
 
All profits reinvested into our social objectives.
Demand Energy Equality is a not-for-profit dedicated to increasing energy literacy, reducing energy demand and working with others to ensure equality of energy access.

This Medicinal Forest Garden Weekend course at Holt Wood in North Devon is an ideal introduction to the cultivation and uses of medicinal trees and shrubs. This course can help you to identify the potential for growing and making your own herbal remedies in a forest garden. During this course we will cover a range of native and introduced healing trees and shrubs. A practical walkabout will provide opportunities to see and identify these and other medicinal plants growing in a woodland setting. You will hear about the many uses of these plants, from cough cures to painkillers and more. There will be discussion of permaculture design features, and issues in cultivating a medicinal forest garden. You will learn about good harvesting practices, as well as drying and preservation techniques. We will have practical opportunities to harvest bark and other products and show you powdering for making capsules and pills. You will also learn how to make a variety of preparations suitable for body and health care, such as teas, tinctures, hydrosols and balms. Numbers on this course are limited to ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for discussion and questions.

A day course at Holt Wood in North Devon where you can learn about medicinal herbs in historical practice. From medieval folklore to seventeenth-century recipes – join this day course to explore the plants of field, hedgerow and woodland which our ancestors may have used to treat wounds and disease. During this day we discuss historical views of health and illness, see a variety of medicinal plants, and hear about their use in folklore and historical recipes. You will also see how to make a variety of traditional preparations such as poultices and distilled waters.