Brighton Permaculture Trust News
Support the Biosphere bid
Please help us and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership in supporting the Biosphere bid. We would like the bid to include working with farmers, supporting orchards, the creation of local sustainable fisheries and connecting local suppliers with markets? What do you think? Obviously Brighton Permaculture Trust is keen to see supporting orchards included. Add your support or your comments before the end of April.
Brighton Permaculture Trust course pioneers the new Permaculture Association accreditation system
For a dozen years, Brighton Permaculture Trust's main Permaculture Design Course - formerly called Building Sustainable Communities - has been offering its successful students Open College Network (OCN) accreditation in addition to the Permaculture Association certificate. This means that we have been 'quality assured' by a leading adult education awarding body, which has helped us to build the course to minimum A level standard.
About 250 Brighton Permaculture Trust students have received academic credits for completing their Permaculture design study with the Trust, and many have gone on to higher level courses with the credits as proof of their ability to learn about ecology, sustainability, and to practise design skills.
Orchards planted this winter
With our partners Action in rural Sussex and Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, a number of new small orchards have been created in schools locally and a little further afield in Sussex. We have helped pupils and community members to create orchards that, all being well, will bear fruit for 50 to 100 years. Also, work has begun on a large orchard at Racehill in Brighton, where eventually we hope that around 200 fruit trees will be planted (find out more).
The orchard locations are as follows:
Big Dig Week
As part of national initiative The Big Dig, Harvest Brighton & Hove are coordinating Brighton's Big Dig Week, where people can visit various growing projects throughout the city. Brighton Permaculture Trust will be taking part on Thursday 21st March. This is a good opportunity to come along to visit our plot and learn more about our plans for the space, which is currently undergoing a redesign. Two key members of our plot team will be there with a number of our volunteers, giving the space a good tidy up in readiness for spring planting. The plot will be open to visitors from 11am to 4pm. Do come along, we'd love to see you! Get directions to our plot at Stanmer here.
Update on Racehill Community Orchard
by Helen Starr-Keddle
After lengthy consultation with local residents, Brighton and Hove Food Partnership and Brighton Permaculture Trust were granted permission to plant a new community orchard on land next to Wilson Avenue and Swanborough Drive.
The project launched on Saturday 26th January, when 50 volunteers came on site to help clear brambles and plant the first tree. This year we have planted 30 trees but have permission to plant up to 200 in the following years.
Orchard planting work mentioned in Homing In
Brighton Permaculture Trust got a mention in the spring 2013 issue of Homing In, the newsletter of Brighton & Hove City Council's housing management service, for its work planting an orchard in Racehill.
Sussex apple varieties and more for sale
If you're interested in adding Sussex apple varieties to your orchard, or simply want to plant an apple or pear tree that tastes delicious, then we are offering seven apple varieties and two pear varieties for sale this Saturday 16 March. Some are available in very small quantities, so contact us now to place your order.
Brighton Permaculture Trust is now a Charity
We are very pleased to announce that our organisation has been granted charitable status.
This won't really affect how we appear to the public, as we have been running the organisation like a charity since its inception, but it will mean more scope for fundraising to further our aims and objectives. One benefit is that we will be able to claim Gift Aid from the taxman - that means every £1 donated to the charity will be worth £1.25.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all the support we have received over the years, which has enabled us to grow and thrive as an organisation, and we look forward to your support in the years to come.
Moulsecoomb Forest Garden & Wildlife Project thanks Brighton Permaculture Trust
by Warren Carter
"This is always a busy time of year for Brighton Permaculture Trust, when plans for orchard planting come to fruition. This year they have been particularly busy in Moulsecoomb.... With support from Harvest, Brighton Permaculture Trust are helping to transform Moulsecoomb back to its original vision of being a garden estate. As someone who has been at all these sessions, I have been really impressed with their ability to be professional but accessible; able to reach and teach all levels of ability and engage all ages and make everyone feel part of the event. This is not easy to do, when you also have to get a job done. So thank you, Brighton Permaculture Trust."
To read the full article, click here.
Planting The Bevy Pub Garden
Brighton Permaculture Trust helped The Bevy at Bevendean (set to be the first co-operative pub in the UK) plant fruit trees in what is to become an edible pub garden. Read more in The Argus.
by Warren Carter
The snow had finally melted, so, on a cold but sunny Sunday in January, around 30 volunteers made a start on our edible pub garden. While we still busy fundraising for the money to start on the rebuild, it was great to start work on the outside and show people how we are going to be so much more than just a pub.
Thanks to a grant from Harvest and expert support on the day from Brighton Permaculture Trust, four Sussex apple trees and two plums were planted. Old tree stumps also made way for roses, shrubs and spring bulbs on the steep slopes to give us a riot of colour and some fruit in the coming months and years.
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