Permaculture Manchester . . . lets put some green on the urban scene

July 30th and August 1st
 

This is the final in a series of four forest gardening weekends that we have organised over the last year at Middlewood Permaculture Trust on Slack Bottom Farm near Lancaster. We have had over 70 people in the garden over the previous weekends, and you are invited to come along too, and lend a helping hand in the forest garden, gain skills and knowledge, and celebrate the special time known in the ancient pagan calanders as the Lammas (or Lughnasadh) 'fire festival'.

Last summer a group of us hatched a plan to open up the forest garden, and bring about fresh energy and change. It was agreed that we would organise a series of four weekends, to co-incide with the pagan festivals: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. As a result, a hardy group assembled for Samhain (Halloween) last year, and set about opening up the forest garden, making it accessible, and building a large fire pit, around which we drummed and danced under the full moon ... until the wind blew up and the rains came in!

In Februay more people came for Imbolc, and camped under a dark moon, and we carried on the work, cutting and pruning, and building footpaths around the forest garden. We survived the winter frosts, and headed back to our towns and cities with cuttings and canes to plant in our community gardens. The beginning of May was Beltane, which marks the passage from darkness into light.

The moon was riding high and just passed its peak, and our spirits were raised by the warming weather and the Scarecrow Festival in the nearby village of Wray. Also in May we erected a large oaken entrance to the garden, carved from a fallen tree that was dragged out of the valley last October.

Lugnasadh is the festival of first harvests, with warm summer sun and hedgerows full of fruiting berries. There is much work to do in the garden, harvesting, carrying on with the footpaths, cutting and mulching, wood carving and restoring old ponds. In the evenings there will be good food, merryment, and blazing fires, under a waning moon. It will be a time to come together, to share, and connect with people .. old friends and new. A time to experience, observe, learn, do, and to be moved by the wild energies of Middlewood, Wray, and the Lune Valley (the Valley of the Moon).

Our intention throughout these weekends has been to connect people and build community as much as it has been to work in the garden. You are welcome whether you are an experienced permaculture gardener, or an absolute beginner. You will be expected to put as little or as much work into the garden as you like. Middlewood is located on the beautiful 220 acre Slack Bottom hill farm with the river Roeburn running through its midst. If you want to spend time walking in the woods and paddling in the river instead of working in the garden, then that is fine with us. To look, learn, dream, hug trees, and reach out for the stars, is as much an achievement as is carving an oaken entrance arch, moving rocks, or banging in fence posts.
 

For more information, o to book a place on this weekend, please contact Rob: Rob@creativelocalsolutions.co.uk | 07974 658 745.
 

View photos of previous forest gardening weekends on facebook.
 

Lammas Traditions
"Lammas from the Anglo-Saxon meaning loaf mass, is the festival of first harvests and an observance of the fruitfulness of the land; first crops have been harvested and the hedgerows are full of rich berries and fruit. This is only the beginning of the harvest and we anticipate fruitfulness and look forward to the bounty of the earth. The days are again beginning to grow shorter, as the sun, having passed its longest point at the Summer Solstice, marches steadily towards a time of equal light and dark again at the Autumn Equinox. This celebration of harvest begins with the "chase of Lugh". Lugh is the name of the Celtic Sun God who rains energy down upon the crops, living within the golden fields. A ceremonial highlight of such festivals was the 'Catherine wheel'. A large wagon wheel was taken to the top of a near-by hill, covered with tar, set aflame, and ceremoniously rolled down the hill. The flaming disk representing the sun-god in his decline. And just as the sun king has now reached the autumn of his years, his rival or dark self has just reached puberty."  (The Cauldron Corner)

Cost: donations (just get yourselves up there and bring some food to share!)
For more info, or to tell me you wanna come, email Rob, or call 07974 658 745

Stuff to bring: torches, sun cream, insect repellent, light weight waterproof jacket, gardening gloves, herbs for the garden .. more herbs for the garden, food to share (cooked or ingredients), chocolate biscuits, poetry, drums, and other musical instuments..

Accommodation:

If you want some privacy then the best bet is to bring your own tent - there is plenty of space. The evenings may get cool, so make sure that you bring plenty of cover, and a good role mat.

Midges (or gnats) can be a problem at this time of year, so insect repellent might be a good idea. A more ecological option is to mix some citronella (essential oil available from Neils Yard) with water, in a handy pump-action spray.

For those who don't like sleeping under canvas there are also various indoor options:

- the classroom (again bring a role mat and bedding as these are not provided), we will be having a lights out policy this time round to ensure that everybody has the right to warmth and a good nights sleep;
 

- also there is the solar kiln, although this will probably not be any warme than a tent;
 

- folk with camper vans are also most welcome, especially if you can provide additional warm sleeping spaces.

For those not familiar with the principles of forest gardening, there will be an opportunity to run through some theory, plus there will be plenty of practical stuff to get stuck into. I have a copy of Martin Crawford's A Year In the Forest Garden DVD (50 mins) which he has made at the Agroforestry Research Trust, so we can give that a viewing as well. 

Middlewood is a beautiful 220 acre permaculture valley farm about 10 miles east of Lancaster. The river Roeburn runs through the centre of the valley and there are loads of beautiful walks in the area if you want to escape for a while. Also their are loads of eco attractions that you can go and see. Take a look at Middlewood's web site for more info.

Getting to Middlewood

Middlewood is in Roeburndale West, about 2 miles south of the village of Wray. Go up M6 and turn east at J34 (Lancaster North). Follow A683 for several windey miles, and look out for the sign to Wray, up the B6480 to your right (sign is easily overlooked - if you get to Hornby you have gone too far). When you get to Wray, turn right off B6480 onto Main Street, and stop of for a quick pint. Then follow the sign to Roeburndale West, and take the lane south out of the village on the west side of the River Roeburn, and up the dale. A mile or so up the hill you will come to a t-junction, turn left and carry on a little further. You will see a sign on your left to Middlewood Trust, just after the cattle grid (if it is dark you might find the sign a little difficult to spot).

Don't forget to shut the gate behind you. Follow the lane down, and round a sharp left, to the car parking space next to the wind turbine - the lane has some large pot holes, so watch out for your exhaust pipes etc. After parking up you will see another gate leading into the farmyard. There is a portacabin on your right, and behind this is a lawn space where we will be camping. The forest garden where we will be working during the daytime is just beyond the camping space.

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