What's On?

Our events and courses

permaculture PDC Bury PDC Todmorden PDC Broadbottom design course herbal medicine Teresa Pereira Angus Soutar

Booking is open for Permaculture Design courses at Broadbottom, Todmorden and Bury, and for Herbal Medicine sessions in Salford coming this autumn and winter.


PDC at Broadbottom near Hyde

   
Broadbottom looking towards Hadfield Broadbottom from across the Etherow

Broadbottom, although tucked away in delightful surroundings on the old Cheshire-Derbyshire border, is proving surprisingly accessible. We have a warm and comfortable venue in the centre of the village. Our Permaculture Design Course will run there again this year starting on Saturday 23th November 2024. As usual, it is a full, modular PDC, certificated internationally by the Permaculture Research Institute. Learn more and book.

   
Broadbottom Community Centre Northern School at Broadbottom Community Centre
Northern School Permaculture Design Course Permaculture Design group at Broadbottom

PDC at Todmorden Community Hub

This Permaculture Design Course is at Todmorden on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border, handy for Halifax, Burnley, Rossendale with good connections to Leeds and Manchester. We will start on Saturday 4th February 2025 and continue for one Saturday a month for each of the 12 months. This is the usual full, modular, Permaculture Design Course, certificated internationally by the Permaculture Research Institute.

There will be additional opportuntities to visit some of the inspitational permaculture projects in the area, once the weather gets better.

   
Todmorden Community Permaculture Design Course
Angus Soutar Todmorden Permaculture Design Permaculture Design Todmorden

For this unique course we are working in partnership with Todmorden Community Hub Local partnerships reflect the spirit pf the town and its surrounding communities. Learn more and book.

   
Todmorden Community Hub Todmorden Community

PDC at Manchester Road Community Centre,Bury

Next year's Permaculture Design Course at Bury starts on Saturday 17th May 2025 and continues for one Saturday a month into the following year. It is a full, modular Permaculture Design Course, certificated internationally by the Permaculture Research Institute.

Manchester Road Community Centre

The Venue is the old St Peter's School building which has good transport links and is well-placed to spend some time outdoors to explore the local (suburban) environment, its ecology and also the rivers in that part of Bury.

Learn more and booking information.

   
Permaculture Design at Manchester Road Community Centre Permaculture Design group at Bury
PDC at Manchester Road Community Centre Permaculture Design community

Herbal medicine workshops in Salford

Herbal medicine workshops with Edwina Hodkinson

Medical Herbalist Edwina Hodkinson will be running seasonal workshops on how to make herbal medicines at home. You will learn how to build up your own medicine cabinet as the seasons unfold to support your health and deal with common ailments. The Summer, Autumn and Winter Home Medicine workshops will take place at Laudato Si Centre in Worsley, near Salford, Manchester.

If you were fortunate to attend the last series of seasonal talks with the Northern School of Permaculture you know how inspiring and informative Edwina's talks are. Join us for this workshops series where guided by Edwina you will will learn how to deepen your relationship with nature's landscapes and your garden by developing your awareness of the plants that grow around you and making medicines that support your wellbeing.

The next event for this year is on Saturday September 21st. Places are limited so book early.

Autumn Home Medicine - Hopefully, we will have a good harvest of berries and it's good to work with elderberries, haws and late summer flowers. We can also work with seeds such as nettle seeds and hogweed seeds. We can make things like elderberry rob, oxymels with honey and vinegar, elder and haw ketchup is nice to make as well as a mulled hedgerow drink. If people want to work with alcohol and finish what we make later there are hedgerow elixirs and tinctures.

Winter Home Medicine - This time of year we have roots, rosehips and sloes. It's a good time to prepare for winter with cough syrups, fire cider vinegar, herbal cough glycerites, joint and muscle rubs and chest rubs. Other things we can make are wartime rosehip syrup, and cold rosehip jam. If we have dried herbs from the garden to use in the winter medicines, we can create a continuity between the seasons.


More about the Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC)

The Northern School of Permaculture delivers, amongst other things, the Permaculture Design Certificate Course (PDC). This is open to anyone who wants to create a sane and safe future for themselves, their friends and their families. The course is based on the pioneering work of Bill Mollison and follows the international curriculum of 72 course hours, as originally designed by Bill himself. Our lead trainer is Angus Soutar who has 30 years experience of practising and teaching permaculture design. Angus is accredited internationally by the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI).

Ethics cake
The ethics of caring and sharing

Staying connected

If you are a graduate of one of our design courses, you can link up with fellow graduates and the core team on our Alumni Telegram Group. You can find more details here.

Keep in touch: on Telegram @teresa_pereira or via our staff contact page


Get involved!

If you haven't studied with us before, consider attending one of our events or courses.

If you are friends and colleagues, old and new, we invite you to:

  • help out on one of our courses or drop in on our PDC sessions to catch-up or update your knowledge - contact Angus on Telegram @angussoutar or via our staff contact page
  • help organise an event near you - perhaps a local visit or even one of our Design Practice Events (see previous "Whats On") - contact Teresa on Telegram @teresa_pereira or via our staff contact page
  • recommend our courses to your friends and help create some lively and dynamic course groups.

Events Coordinator Teresa Pereira

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From the editor Local Food