Permaculture
Building on the development of our Permaculture space at NGG 2024,this year’s theme will be ‘People Care’ and the ‘Culture’ aspect of Permaculture.
We will be moving to a more contained, secluded and leafy part of the site, away from loud stages.
We are very fortunate again to have experienced and visionary Permaculture teachers, authors and practitioners who will present their own workshops, and will also share in some open discussions on some of the major issues regarding our land, food, communities, and philosophies of living in harmony with nature.
To this end we will, this year, be hosting the Lishi Doaist Arts Workshops, which carry on the ancient Lee family tradition from China since it was established in the UK by the legendary teacher Chi Soo, and moved up to Leeds by our Grand Master Desmond Murray where the School now has a permanent home. Workshops will be led by skilled practitioner Laura Bernardi.
Learning from last year we will divide up our programme into a series of timetabled presentations/ discussions, areas where ongoing practical workshops will take place, and space for stalls and displays such as the
Regrettably the ‘Permaculture Association UK’ Stall which will would have had lots of info and books about Permaculture Design, courses, a big map of projects in the UK, and courses in Leeds to promote have not replied to our invitation to attend this year.
Come and see how Permaculture can expand your horizons!
2025 Workshops & Activities
- Dave P ‘Water retention and management in wet, and dry landscapes (in our unpredictable climate)
- Pippa Chapman. ‘Food growing in garden spaces’ A talk about home scale Food Forests, or Permaculture plants.
- Beth BIngley – Introduction to Permaculture – general LPN Permaculture-design workshop, build a mini forest garden, medicinal forest garden, herbs for health etc.
- Loren – How are we going to get access to land?
“This workshop hopes to introduce the context, the models (planning/legal landscape) currently at our disposal and how we could come together more ‘as community’ to open up more opportunities in the future. We’ll cover rural enterprise dwellings, community shares, cooperatives/mutual housing initiatives and much more, so do come along whether 5 hours or 50 years into the land dream. It will be interactive, and I won’t just be lecturing you for an hour.”
- Sarah Goldsmith – ‘A deep dive into nettles’. “Discover the amazing ways that nettles can support health, how we can use nettles for practical and craft projects and how they support wildlife! Come along to harvest, eat, drink and play with nettles”
- Ben Lawson – would like to offer 3 different workshops.
‘Introduction to plant families and their patterns – working from patterns to details’.
7 – ‘Intimacy with plants – using curiosity to build intimacy’.
8 – (very different): – ‘The Metacrisis and the philosophy of Permaculture – what is the
metacrisis and what does it mean for the Permaculture movement?’ Thurs
- Kathy Gale – Forest garden fruit from January to December: variety selection for a continual supply – growing, harvesting, using and preserving, and/or Tree walk, identifying and talking about characteristics and uses.
- Claire Lavery – Evening Sound Bath (check with Healing Area)
- Laura Bernardi & Cat – Lishi Workshops – “Lishi, the Lee Family system is a practice rooted in the ancient Taoist tradition. This reflects naturalism and that`s why we always talk about following nature and being natural. Practicing Lishi is a way to cultivate your natural energy. People who practice these arts become fitter, healthier and happier. During the workshop you will be introduced to a wide range of exercises that strengthen aspects of your mind and body. We will warm up the body, do breathing exercises, Kai Men (Chinese Yoga) and we will learn Tai Chi forms and Qigong.
Whether you are looking to improve flexibility, reduce stress or simply connect with yourself Lishi offers a practice that is calming as it is rejuvenating. Lishi is a holistic approach to movements designed to harmonise body, mind and spirit. Through a combination of movements and breathing, our practice is designed to open the energy meridians of our bodies, allowing the flow of Qi to restore vitality and relieve tension, whilst promoting harmony and balance within the mental, physical and spiritual dimensions of life. The movements are gentle but powerful and adaptable, making them suitable for people of all ages and abilities. Thursday
- Eva and Iman- T shirt weaving, and Nature Mandalas.
T shirt weaving involves making some yarn out of cutting an old t shirt and weaving it normally with a cardboard loom type thing. It’s super easy
Mandalas, I’m going to print and laminate some example pictures, could be lovely to do in the woods.
Eve Nortley and Vic – Workshops on…
13 – A focus on Food
-An introduction to eating well on a budget, to equip participants to make informed choices to optimise health and happiness.
- Living lightly -workshop : A focus on non food provision
- Aiming for a zero waste lifestyle
- Alana Middleton – Singing Workshop – come and join
- Freya Young – Leeds Urban Harvest – Foraged Fruit Juicing
- Fireside Discussion space
Living in harmony with other people, other creatures, & nature – How does a Permaculture Approach to life help to achieve this (see 13)
How far do the Principals of Permaculture, as we understand them, go to achieve this ?
Do we need to understand these principles more deeply ?
What ancient wisdom that we can draw upon to deepen our understanding ?(see 11)