This information is additional to what you can see on the permaculture design course page.

The Design Course is the classic permaculture course. It focuses on skills we can put into action in our own lives, in both town and country. It also looks at permaculture in its wider context, as a way of putting many diverse green ideas into a coherent whole. It’s suitable both for beginners and for those in relevant professions - gardeners, farmers, landscape designers, foresters, architects etc - who want to add a permaculture perspective to their skills.

A wide range of teaching methods is used, including talks, slide shows, discussions and exercises, both indoor and outdoor. The main focus of the course is a series of design exercises on the land. Participants can choose between a domestic garden or a smallholding for their permaculture design project. We make full use of the farm as a teaching resource, with outdoor sessions every day. There’s also one session of practical work in the farm on each course. The example timetable below shows the full range of subjects covered

Timing

Both of the summer Design Courses start on the Sunday morning at 9.30. We ask all participants to arrive on the afternoon or early evening of the first Saturday. Both courses end with lunch on the final Saturday.

Timetable

This timetable is for guidance only, as we vary it slightly from time to time according to circumstances.

There’s a range of optional evening activities, including film shows, campfires and a hot tub. Especially popular is the healing circle led by Cathy, a gentle introduction to the art. On the weekend we organise a canoeing trip down the River Wye amid the beautiful wooded scenery (cost approx £15).

Venue

Ragmans Lane Farm is situated in beautiful countryside in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, on the banks of the River Wye.

The farm is presently in a state of transition. Formerly supporting a rich diversity of permaculture activity, in recent years this has been narrowed down to just two enterprises. One is mushroom log production - inoculating logs with the spawn of shii-take and oyster mushrooms and selling the logs as a source of fresh organic mushrooms. The other is organic apple juice production, and part of the farm has been planted up with orchards to supply the apples. There is a vegetable garden, presently run by a Community Supported Agriculture group, which also supplies vegetables to the courses. The rest of the farm is let out to neighbours for grazing.

The farm is also the home of the Willow Bank, which supplies a wide range of willow varieties and installs living willow structures. Many of these can be seen around the farm. In addition, there is an interesting range of ecological building styles on the farm, and there is both mature and newly planted woodland.

For more information on the farm, including a pictorial tour, see http:// www.ragmans.co.uk (Please note that you should use the booking form on this website, not the one on the Ragmans Lane site.)

Accommodation

This is in the bunkhouse, a converted stone barn with many ecological features. Accommodation is basic and there are no individual or double rooms, but if you want privacy you are welcome to camp.

The camping site, with beautiful views of the local landscape, is right beside the bunkhouse. Campers have full use of the bunkhouse facilities and there is no reduction in charge for camping.

Full vegetarian board is provided. The great majority of the food is organic and sourced as locally as possible - including fruit and vegetables from the farm itself.

Funding
If you're unable to pay the full fees our first suggestion is that you look for funding. Below is a list of organisations which have given funding to people on our courses in the past.

Princes Trust
www.princes-trust.org.uk
0800 842 842
Gives grants for training to young people up to 25 years. Although these are normally limited to £500 we have had one student funded for the full cost of the Sustainable Land Use course.

UnLtd
www.unltd.org.uk
0845 850 1122
Provides funding for  “people with vision, drive, commitment and passion who want to change the world for the better.” This is interpreted quite widely.

BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers)
www.btcv.org
01302 572244
From time to time either the national organisation or regional and local branches give grants for training.

Job Centre Plus
If you're unemployed and claiming Job Seeker's Allowance it's worth asking at your Job Centre whether they can fund you. The Permaculture Association (Britain) is registered as a supplier on ProcServe, which is used by the Department for Work and Pensions, ie Job Centres, to buy things. Our courses are certified by the Permaculture Association, so if there is any funding for courses available it should be possible to access it. In Wales you should contact ReAct.


Payment by Instalments
If you're unable to find funding but would be able to pay by instalments please contact us. We will be happy to arrange a payment programme with you, including payments both before and after the course.


Concessions
If neither of the above are suitable for you we are able to offer some concessionary places. We don't have a regular concessionary rate but discuss it with each person as an individual. If you would like to apply for a concession please email us with a account of your circumstances.