About / Contact Us |
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Patrick is the main tutor on all the courses. He was brought up on a smallholding in Somerset and qualified in agriculture at Shuttleworth College, Bedfordshire. After several years working in agriculture in the Middle East and Africa, he settled in central Somerset where he still lives. In 1983 he bought a flower-rich hay meadow to save it from destruction and kept it as a n “I find permaculture makes use of the varied skills I’ve acquired during my life,” he says. “and puts them into a cohesive whole.” Patrick is now one of the leading permaculture teachers in Britain, indeed in Europe. He combines a deep knowledge of the subject with an inspiring and professional teaching style. He’s written three books on permaculture: Permaculture in a Nutshell, How to Make a Forest Garden and The Earth Care Manual. His latest book is The Living Landscape, how to read it and understand it, a subject especially close to his heart. He also practices as a design consultant. |
ature reserve for 25 years before handing it on to the Somerset Wildlife Trust for safe keeping. He’s always been a vegetable gardener, and some fifteen years ago he planted an orchard which now gives him an abundant supply of apples from September to May. In the past he’s made his living by a variety of country crafts, and for a while he was a prominent member of the Green Party. Since 1990 he’s devoted himself to permaculture, especially to teaching it, and has appeared on the BBC2 television programmes, It's not Easy Being Green and A Farm for the Future.|
Cathy is the group facilitator on the Design Courses and teaches the people-centred and |
community aspects of these courses. She has a background in complementary medicine and is qualified in counselling and group leadership. She feels it’s vitally important to integrate spiritual and emotional work with sustainability, and that either is incomplete without the other. Many course participants have commented on how important her work is to the overall quality of the courses, and how her input and Patrick’s complement each other. Cathy also leads self development courses in southern Spain. See her website |
Sarah teaches on all our Design Courses. She’s an urban permaculturist and a leading member of Bristol Permaculture Group. She’s very active in her local area and for several years was co-ordinator of Easton Community Allotments, an inner-city permaculture project. She has been a prominent member of Transition Bristol and more recently has set up her own permaculture teaching partnership, Shift Bristol. The word most often used to describe Sarah’s teaching is inspiring. She opens up a cornucopia of possibilities for practicing permaculture in the town. Visit her site http://www.sarah-pugh.co.uk |
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Caroline is assistant teacher on the Design Courses. She is qualified in design, permaculture design and horticulture and works as a freelance gardener, cook and illustrator. Her experience includes managing 2 acres of intensive organic vegetable production, managing 5 acres of ornamental and food gardens at a meditation retreat centre, and cooking for the permaculture design courses. She lives with her partner on a 4 acre smallholding in Dartmoor which they are working to re-establish as a plant nursery, host workshops and run a community health garden. Caroline is also co-author with Martin Crawford of Food from your Forest Garden, a book of recipes using forest garden foods. |
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Jo is the leading teacher of the Organic Horticulture module of the Land Course Online and co-teaches the the Ecology module. She has a Diploma in Organic Agriculture from |
Carmarthen College, and since 1994 has developed her own 6 acre smallholding in Co Clare, Ireland. On land which was dismissed as hopelessly infertile, and in a challenging climate, she’s developed a productive holding which can feed the family and produce a surplus for sale. She is also the seedbank co-ordinator at Irish Seed Savers, who do invaluable work saving old varieties of vegetables and fruits and making them available to the gardeners of today and tomorrow. See |
Mike features on the Woodland module of the Land Course Online. Since graduating from Edinburgh University in Ecological Sciences with Forestry Honours he's worked in various parts of Britain, as woodsman, craftsman, forestry consultant and teacher. He and his partner live on their 10 acre holding in Devon where they have their wood yard, horses, chickens, fruit trees and a productive vegetable garden. Mike’s blend of first hand knowledge and an engaging teaching style make a powerful combination. http://www.woodmanship.co.uk |
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Other teachers on various courses include: Jonathan Hines – ecological architect http://www.architype.co.uk/small.html |
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Cathy Whitefield has her own website, with details of the self-development courses and individual sessions she offers.
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Permanent Publications publishes Permaculture Magazine and many books on pemaculture. It also runs a mail-order catalogue for books on permaculture and related subjects.
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The Permaculture Association (Britain) is the membership and networking organisation for all aspects of permaculture in Britain today.
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Ragmans Lane Farm, our main teaching venue, also runs courses on willow
structures and apple juice and cider making. |
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Sarah Pugh. As well as working with us Sarah Pugh runs permaculture courses in Bristol and is available for teaching assignments and consultancy.
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The Sustainability Centre, another teaching venue, runs a wide range of courses, mainly on country crafts.
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Irish Seed Savers do invaluable work preserving traditional Irish varieties of fruit, vegetables and farm crops. Jo Newton, who co-teaches on the Sustainable Land Use Course, is one of their key workers.
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Architype is the architectural practice of our regular guest tutor, Jonanthan Hines
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Elemental Solutions is the biological water purification firm run by our regular guest tutor Mark Moodie.
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Permapeach is the website of former design course participant Rachel Woodisse.
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The Willow Bank is the willow supply and construction service run by our regular guest tutor, Steve Pickup.
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Aquavision is the aquaculture consultancy run by Jimmie Hepburn, who is a guest tutor on the Sustainable Land Use course.
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The Agroforestry Research Trust has extensive trial plantings tree crops and other plants which are central to permaculture. It also publishes information on agroforestry and supplies plants.
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The Centre for Alternative Technology has a famous demonstration site and provides an extensive information service on energy, buildings, water and organic growing.
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webAdore have produced this website and do all our graphic design.
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Patrick Whitefield Associates |
