In a nut shell! I have been passionate about Permaculture for over 25 years. I now spend most of my time as a Forest Garden and Permaculture Designer, Forager, Gardener, Transistioner and Permaculture facilitator. I work with Community groups and individuals. I still consider my most important role is as a mum!
I worked part time at The amazing Windmill Community Garden project in Margate for nearly three years. I mainly worked with the open community days, long term unemployed, families and toddlers, children and Well Being sessions. I ran many courses inclusing introductions to Permamculture, basic hoticulture, forest garden sessions, cooking and more. It was a brilliant experience.
I have trained as a Permaculture Tutor, Landscape Architect, Life coach and Kinesiologist which all weave into the Earthcare and Peoplecare projects i am involved with.
Teaching Permaculture
I first facilitated a session in 1993 (with Patrick Whitefield) and have been regularly been giving talks and facilitating the Introductory weekends since. I have facilitated 12 Introductory weekends and assisted on 4 full design course. I have given more public talks and mini workshops on Permaculture than I can remember (at least 50) . I also run workshops in Forest Gardening, Goal setting, Permaculture for Transition and Zone00.
Permaculture Land design I have designed around 30 Permaculture gardens including perennial food gardens / forest gardens. Much of my work has been with community groups in Manchester and Kent. The design ethos also informed my work as a Landscape Architect in 100's of other projects. In the last year I have designed 5 Permaculture gardens, a farm, an urban community park and a community food forest. I have been design support for five LAND learner sites and been developing my own homegarden. My garden was awarded a Gold from Kent Wildlife Trust's Wld about Gardens in 2013 and a client received a gold in 2014.
Other Permaculture experience
Peoplecare: I have been coaching individuals who are 'economically inactive' to explore starting a business combining energy medicine and life coaching. These coaching skills should be useful as a diploma tutor. I have been a Permaculture consultant on a number of community environmental projects. I have run environmental education projects around eco schools, energy, waste, transport, food and planting trees. I have assisted a local bush craft school
- I have other relevant experience please ask for my CV if you are interested. Observation skills with land and people
- Foraging wild and garden plants. Its the thing I get asked to do the most.
- Permacultural life coaching and applied energy medicine.
- Transition. I kickstarted the Transiton group on Canterbury and started an East kent Transitin gathering. We have got bimonthly Eco-screening going.
- Canterbury LETS, founder member.
- Community Supported Agriculture, experience of all activities in two biodynamically ran projects. Over 7 years I was Grower, harvester, marketing and in core group.
- Straw bale builds Helped out in four projects, minimally.
- Visioning exercises
- Non violent communication
- Community development.
- Art- Murals, growing willow structures, photography
- Planning for real Environmental educations projects, nature awareness, energy, waste, trees
- Sensitive Permaculture: working with earth energy and nature spirits
- Schools. Have been involved with lots of projects with every age group. 2 years running Environmnetal Education programmes. Recently (2013) developed an art proposal to run in schools
- Children. I have developed a Kids Permaculture curriculum
- Families. I have been developed Family Permaculture courses
I am currently involved with an eco. affordable Community housing project.
I am currently on the Diploma woking group supporting the design strategy.
I am currently a Trustee on the Permaculture Association board. I have been involved with reviewing the Vision Mission Aims.
My main permaculture passion (or obsession!) is David Holgren's new work: RetroSuburbia.